Bloodlines
by TinyDancer365
Summary: *4th installment* With no answers and tensions running high, Damon and Cassandra struggle with the news of Cassandra's pregnancy. Meanwhile in New Orleans, Klaus, Giuliana, and Elijah work with the witches to protect Hayley's baby and overthrow Marcel's reign. Story will contain episodes from TVD and TO. Rated M for lemons.
1. The Vampire Diaries promo

**AN: Hello everyone! I hope you've all had a wonderful summer and that you've all settled into classes and school for the fall. Speaking of the fall, it's 20 days till the premieres of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. To hold you all over and because I love you all so much, I've written a promo for each show :) I am planning to keep both TVD and TO in the same story in case any characters/flashbacks happen to overlap. I am so excited for both shows and a little anxious of what the writers have in mind. I just want to thank my amazing beta PrincessOfSilence who is absolutely incredible and I don't know what I would do without her! And then I have my readers, you are all amazing and without you guys, I wouldn't be writing anymore. Without any further ado, here is the promo for The Vampire Diaries.**

**Beta: PrincessOfSilence**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of The Vampire Diaries or The Originals. I only own my characters and my story.**

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_**Thursday October 3rd**_

Two men are standing on the very edge of a cliff, the dark night sky looming overhead. Below them, a rushing ravine is the only thing that can be heard between the two. Both men are exactly alike, same build, same facial features; however, one of them has a more devilish demeanor than the other.

"Hello my shadow self." The devilish one grinned while Stefan was left dumbfounded.

"Silas." The vampire hushed.

The next events happened quickly in succession. Stefan was stabbed in the stomach, Silas slid the lock into place on the safe door, and he tossed the heavy safe off the edge of the cliff. Inside, Stefan banged on the walls, using all of his vampire strength, but the water was quickly rising around him.

"No! No!" He shouted, trying to get someone, anyone to hear him, but he was alone. His eyes darted around wildly for any means of escape, however he found none. He gave one last scream of agony as the cold water rose above his face, sealing his fate in a watery grave.

Up from above, Silas looks down at the sinking safe, an evil look in his eyes. Watching the last remnants of the safe sink underwater, the new doppelganger disappeared into the night, his plans for Mystic Falls already taking shape.

_**New Faces**_

Cassandra and Damon lay on his bed in his room. The pair were tangled up in the sheets, a thin layer of sweat coating their panting bodies. They were curled into one another, curve meeting curve and limbs wrapped around one another, cradling each other. In the silence between them, they could hear the gentle heartbeat of their unborn child.

"Maybe we aren't meant to know why yet." She hummed quietly and toyed with his crazed hair. "Maybe, we're just supposed to accept it for now."

Damon's hand stilled on her hip, but his fingers continued to work over her smooth yet sweaty skin. His lips pressed against the side of her neck and he pulled her closer. He placed his hand over her stomach, gently rubbing back and forth. "No matter what happens," his gentle kisses moved up her throat, creating goose bumps in their wake until he reached her luscious lips. "I love you."

Cassandra smiled against his lips, gently kissing him and cupping his cheek. Breaking away, she stared into his deep blue eyes and her thumb rubbed back and forth over his jaw line. "And I love you."

_**New Surprises**_

"It's been a long summer, Damon." Katherine murmured. Her hair was a complete mess and her makeup was smeared all over her face. Her clothes were also worn and torn. Obviously being human wasn't treating her well.

"Katherine." The raven haired vampire recoiled from her disheveled appearance and the two remained looking at each other.

"Well, since no one in this house has said it yet, I will." Cassandra cut in, standing on the opposite side of the room. She was leaning against the doorframe, one hip jutted out. "You look like crap."

_**This Season**_

"Don't you think this scares me?" Cassandra fought as little tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. Her fists were clenched at her sides and her body shook with anger.

Damon rushed right up to her, staring her down. "Of course I know that it scares you, Cass, because it scares the hell out of me too!"

Cassandra gritted her teeth just as one lone tear streaked down her cheek. "Why are you so upset about this, Damon?"

"Because it wasn't supposed to happen!"

_**The Rules**_

"Doesn't it seem weird to you that Stefan hasn't called all summer?" Elena asked curiously into her cell phone. "And now he's suddenly back in Mystic Falls like nothing has happened."

"Elena, have you met Stefan?" Cassandra rolled her eyes. "He cares more about hair products than he does checking in with us. Besides I have more pressing matters to deal with like the fact that a very human Katherine Pierce is living in my house."

_**Have Changed**_

"If I have to hear 'doppelganger' one more time. I'm going to have to learn how to spell it." Damon mumbled.

"D-o-p-p-" The vampire gave his wife a stern look, but Cassandra just giggled anyways. "Sorry. Couldn't resist."

_**The season premiere of the Vampire Diaries. Thursday October 3rd at 8/7 on the CW.**_

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**Hmm, some Damon/Cassandra loving and tension already. How long will Silas be able to keep up his Stefan charade before someone figures out? Will the news of Cassandra's pregnancy put the Mysitc Falls gang in even more danger? Stay tuned for The Originals promo which will be posted shortly! PS: Please review because it's my birthday :D**


	2. The Originals promo

**AN: WOW! 20 reviews?! I am so grateful for all of the love and birthday wishes that I received from all of you! I had an amazing birthday (I'm still celebrating!) and seeing all of your reviews made me even happier :) As promised, here is the promo for The Originals! I hope you all enjoy it and please leave a review!**

**Beta:**** PrincessOfSilence**

**Disclaimer:**** I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and plot.**

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**_Thursday October 3rd_**

The scene begins with an aerial view of New Orleans, showing the bustling people on the streets and the jam-packed highways filled with cars below. At the heart of the city is the French Quarter, a haven and playground for vampires. Smooth jazz music can be heard as a parade makes its way down the street. Onlookers watched excitedly, applauding and cheering for the various dancers and performers. Leaning against the column of a bar on the sidewalk was a woman with long waves of brunette and blonde locks, the latter color in small streaks acting as a highlight to brighten the darkness of the brown in her hair. Her deep green eyes took in everything happening around her and she even smiled at some of the musicians.

"I figured I'd find you here." The smooth voice of a very familiar Original reached her ears and she shifted slightly so she could meet his eyes.

Giuliana put her hands up, frowning a little. "You caught me."

"You know the rules, Giuliana," Elijah told her. "Sophie is very strict."

"I've been cooped up in a house with Hayley for days. I needed some fresh air." She stressed.

Elijah's brow furrowed. "I thought that you two are getting along?"

"We are." The girl nodded. "Come on, Elijah. I was bored and I've never been to New Orleans. I wanted to explore."

"Giuliana…" She could see the smallest bit of trepidation in his eyes.

"Don't you ever get tired of being the noble brother?" Giuliana asked him cheekily to which Elijah's eyes flicked up to meet hers.

"Are you implying that I'm boring?" The girl simply giggled, trapping her bottom lip between her teeth.

"No," she grinned. "It just seems like you really love it here. Wouldn't you want to take advantage of seeing all there is to see?"

A smile twitched on Elijah's lips and he pocketed one of his hands in his suit jacket pocket. "New Orleans is certainly a unique place."

"It certainly is." She agreed and the cheering of some onlookers made them direct their attention to a crowd making their way down the street.

"Remember what I said about Marcel." Elijah's voice was in her ear for barely a second before he flashed away, disappearing from sight.

**_In The Big Easy_**

Klaus and Marcel marched with the throngs of people down the streets of the French Quarter. The two were joined by Marcel's cronies who made sure that neither would come into harm's way. Marcel's eyes found a very familiar silhouette along the sidewalk and he smirked widely at Giuliana. The girl rolled her eyes, unimpressed by his attempts to flirt with her and she turned to smile at a man who had started to dance by her. The king himself tried not to look so crestfallen while Klaus was grinning to himself.

"You fancy her?" Klaus questioned as they watched Giuliana dance with one of the street performers. The gentleman took her hand and twirled her around before handing her a long feather from his hat. She smiled her thanks and tucked in behind her ear.

"She's queen material, you know?" Marcel replied with a hungry grin and patted Klaus's shoulder. As they passed Giuliana, Marcel noticed that she completely ignored him, but she snuck the quickest of glances at Klaus. Their eyes met for barely a second, but that action alone made Marcel think that there was more to those two than Klaus was letting on.

**_Immortality Is Many Things_**

"So, you and Klaus?" Hayley questioned with a smirk.

Giuliana shook her head, continuing with her work. "What about it?"

"Well, I know that he likes you and I did catch you two practically having sex in that chair." She wrinkled her nose.

_Frenzied lips moved hungrily over on another's and Klaus's hands tightened around Giuliana's waist. She took his swollen bottom lip between her teeth and yanked it into her mouth, suckling it wantonly. Klaus growled loudly and broke the kiss to trail his lips down the side of her neck. Giuliana's hands threaded through Klaus's short hair, her nails scratching against his scalp._

"Thanks for reminding me," the ex-hunter deadpanned.

**_Easy Ain't One Of Them_**

"All of this...it's all a mistake." He said.

"Like the part when you slept with Hayley." The brunette growled and he rushed to tower over her.

"Why should you care?" He asked her and she looked away from him. Klaus took her chin in his hands, directing her gaze to meet his.

"I shouldn't, but I do." She replied quietly as his thumb ran back and forth over her jaw line.

"I know you shouldn't care, but tell me why you do." He wasn't compelling her, but his deep, soothing tone was making her slowly unravel before him. Her lips opened and closed, trying to form some kind of sound, but she was speechless.

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The brunette looked cautiously over her shoulder, feeling a presence but the alleyway behind her was completely empty. She pulled her jacket closer around her, swallowing thickly before quickly making her way out of the deserted alley. Her heels clicked loudly against the wet pavement and she sighed in relief once she made it out of the dark alley and onto a populated street.

Shrouded in shadow was the cause of her uneasiness. Marcel's gaze watched Giuliana's form become smaller and smaller as she ran away, but the pounding of her heartbeat was ringing in his ears. She constantly denied his advances, but that didn't mean that he'd give up on her that easily.

**_The Originals. Special Premiere event. Thursday October 3rd on the CW._**

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**Well, Elijah seems awfully protective of Giuliana and Marcel thinks that she'd make a good queen for the French Quarter. Could Giuliana and Hayley actually become friends?! Marcel seems very intent on having Giuliana for himself, but he does realize that Klaus has taken a bit of a liking to her. Will Marcel find out about Hayley's baby? Will Klaus be able to take down his former friend turned rival or will his plan be foiled? Stay tuned and please review!  
**

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**SomebodyWhoCares: **Yay! I can't wait either!

**Guest: **Thanks for the review and the birthday wishes :) I'm excited too!

**Shining Ruby: **Thank you so much for reviewing! So glad that you have enjoyed my stories and I can't wait to start updating too! I feel like a piece of me has been missing all summer without TVD!

**VampirePrincess11: **Thanks for reviewing! Cassandra's and Damon's baby will be a big part of the season and I am so ready for the show to premiere.

**grapejuice101: **Thank you for reviewing!

**Silently Tearful: **Thanks for the review and the birthday wishes! I'm glad that you enjoyed this little preview and I hope you enjoy the one for The Originals :)

**xoxobianca13: **Thank you for the review! I saw the promo and I just _had_ to write it!

**xJenzaFreakx: **Thank you for reviewing and for the birthday wishes! I am going absolutely stir crazy waiting for this damn show to start! I am bouncing off the walls and we still have some time to go :( I hope that this extra little teaser was enough for you and hang in there! The show will be on soon!

**Shippolove844: **Thanks for reviewing!

**Rose1324: **Thank you for reviewing! I can't wait either!

**Whitttyyy76: **Thanks for your review and the birthday wishes! Damon and Cassandra do have a lot to look forward to, but they will also have a lot of struggles too. Very excited to start writing it :)

**Mimi81: **I hope you enjoyed it...? Lol!

**Cori: **Thanks babe! Hope you enjoy The Originals promo ;)

**sarahmichellegellarfan1: **Thanks girl! I can't wait either!

**Guest: **Thanks for the review! I was a little surprised to get a total of 20 reviews for this promo, but I am so grateful! I hope that everyone will enjoy what plans I have for season 5 :)

**Seira asami: **Thank you for reviewing! I wish that Damon and Cass were in the show too! I like to pretend that they really are, hehe ;) I am so ready for season 5 and for The Originals!

**Lycan Lover 411: **Thanks girl! Wait, you haven't seen season 4 yet?! Gah! At least this will be on your favorites list, so that you can read it when you're ready!

**sarahhxx: **Thanks for reviewing! I love Damon and Cassandra too :)

**Nymartian: **Wow, thank you so much for this review! I wish that Damon and Cassandra were a real couple too! To tell you the truth, I don't really like Damon and Elena either :/ (that's why I made up Cassandra, haha!) Hope you enjoy the promo for The Originals!


	3. I Know What You Did Last Summer (TVD)

**Bloodlines**

**Chapter 1: I Know What You Did Last Summer**

**Beta: PrincessOfSilence**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.**

**AN: Happy TVD and TO everyone! I hope that all of you enjoyed the premieres of both shows and I am so ready to start writing these chapters :)**

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"Oh no."

Cassandra leapt out of her bed and darted for the bathroom with a hand clamped over her mouth. No, not again, she scolded her body for picking the absolute worst times to act up like this. In the darkness, she was able to make her way through the bedroom, save for bumping into the walls. Her stomach churned violently and she had just managed to make it to the bathroom when bile rose up her throat. Clammy hands gripped the toilet seat while she vomited and she was thankful that her hair was tied up off her face. She'd grown accustomed to this happening at any time and just figured that it was easier to keep her hair up as opposed to fussing with it. Sweat and heat prickled along her skin as she continued to wretch and groan over the toilet. The contents of her stomach from just a few hours before was now spilling out of her. Blood, pieces of food; anything and everything that she had eaten was being regurgitated. Her head spun, nausea plaguing her nerves, and her body ached terribly. Hands shook, dehydration was setting in and she needed something to drink, but she knew that she'd just throw it back up again.

With a few final dry heaves, she took a few calming breaths to make sure that she was finished for the night and she flushed the toilet. Sighing heavily, she heard the bathroom door creak open and she knew that she had woken up her husband again. Cassandra closed the toilet seat and very slowly got to her feet. Her knees were buckling and her arms could barely hold her own weight as she braced herself on the edge of the toilet and the bathroom counter.

"Again?" Damon asked her and she nodded weakly.

"Why do they call it morning sickness if it hits you every second of the day?" She said aloud and held her head in her hands. She'd had enough. She was tired. She was hungry. And she was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Frustration surged through her, adding to the still prominent heat that engulfed her body like an inferno. Giving a loud sob, she fell back, her legs unable to hold herself up, but Damon was quick to catch her. He immediately cradled her in his arms and sat her up on the counter.

"Shh, shh, shh." Damon cooed softly and wiped her tears away with his thumbs but they continued to fall. He stood between her legs and tried to calm her down; he hated seeing her cry more than anything.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Jeremy's eyes were bleary with sleep, but Cassandra's crying had woke him up. His pajamas were a mess and his hair was frizzy from frantically jumping out of bed to see what was the matter. Normally Elena would be the first one up, but she was spending the night at Caroline's in preparation for them to leave for college. The hybrid pressed her face into the crook of Damon's neck, purring to herself when she found that the skin was cool and her arms circled Damon's body, eager to cool her body down. He felt her hot tears burning his skin and peered over at Jeremy who looked as confused as ever.

"She just had a bad nightmare," Damon replied.

"Can I get her anything? A glass of water?" He asked and Cassandra shook her head.

"I've got it, Jeremy." The vampire comfortingly ran his fingers along her back.

"Are you sure? I can stay up with her." The teen offered.

"I said, I got it, Jeremy." Damon snapped tensely and he sent the vampire a glare.

Cassandra turned her head to face the crestfallen teen. "It's okay, Jeremy. It was just a bad dream." She assured him with a small smile as if to make it seem like it was just as simple as a nightmare. Jeremy let out a tired sigh before giving Damon one last glowering look and turning on his heel to trudge back to his room.

"You shouldn't be so hard on him." Cassandra chided her husband who had grasped a washcloth from the cabinet and soaked it under the cold water from the faucet.

"And he shouldn't meddle in business that isn't his." The vampire grumbled, wringing out the excess water from the cloth.

"He was just trying to be helpful." She sighed gratefully when Damon placed the washcloth on the back of her neck. The cold soothed her skin and her muscles relaxed from their previously tensed position. He ran the washcloth over her back, cleaning the sweat off her skin and desperately trying to bring her body temperature down as well. He moved to her front and passed the washcloth along her collarbone and just above the swell of her breasts.

"Better?" He watched her eyes fall closed as he stroked her skin.

"Mmhmm." She hummed softly and just enjoyed the sensation of the cool fibers passing over her flushed flesh.

Unbeknownst to the couple, there was another presence in the room with them that they could not see. Bonnie Bennett remained leaned up against the doorway, just observing them with a pensive look on her face. She watched how Damon held her and touched her and she remembered how Jeremy would do the same thing. Their admiration and love for one another was something so rare and incredible to witness. Her heart ached longingly to feel Jeremy's touch again, but it had been two months since she felt anything from someone in the physical world. A part of her enjoyed being in the spiritual world because she could watch over her loved ones and materialize to wherever she needed to be. During the summer, she kept an eye on Elena and Caroline as they readied themselves for college, Jeremy settling into becoming alive again, and she kept a closer eye over the married couple who was going through quite a bit of turmoil.

She watched as Damon pressed a kiss to Cassandra's forehead. "I'll be right back. Are you okay for me to leave you?"

His wife nodded tiredly and took the washcloth from him. "I'm fine." He turned on his heel and headed back to his room. Bonnie's eyes followed him, but she remained with Cassandra in the bathroom. She watched as the hybrid hopped down off the counter and faced the mirror. Bonnie stepped closer to her, but Cassandra remained unaware that the witch was even there. Shaky hands lifted up her nightgown and her fingers lingered over her still flat stomach. Only two months had passed since they learned that she was pregnant, so her body hadn't started to change yet. Underneath her fingertips, she could feel the gentle heartbeats of the unborn child that rested there. A mystified smile pulled at Cassandra's lips, but it was wiped away once anxiety and fear took over her. She was still in shock that she was pregnant, that was a given, but she was a mix of emotions all at once. The past two months had been rough for her. She was constantly nauseous and on edge with each new day. The smallest things would anger her and she would fall to pieces at something that seemed so minute in retrospect. Cassandra let the nightgown go and grabbed her toothbrush from the holder; the smell of vomit was making her sick all over again and she brushed her teeth in an effort to get that bad taste out of her mouth.

Bonnie was suddenly in the couple's bedroom in the blink of an eye. She saw Damon dialing a number on his phone and then he held it to his ear. The witch knew exactly who he was calling, but she was helpless to even tell him that the person on the other end wouldn't be able to answer. One, two, three rings passed by before the phone went to voicemail. The vampire growled into the receiver as he paced the room.

"Bonnie, it's me. Call me back." He clicked the phone off and threw it on the bed. The witch frowned deeply; she knew that because she was a ghost, she couldn't even touch her phone. She couldn't touch anything, not even Jeremy. Bonnie decided to leave the couple alone and check on Jeremy who she was sure was cursing Damon's bad attitude. A nervous hand passed through Damon's hair and he headed back to the bathroom in time to see Cassandra shut off the faucet. Her hands braced against the counter and her eyes met Damon's in the reflection of the mirror.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this for."

Damon's blue eyes examined her tightly. "You've gotten this far, right?"

Cassandra slowly turned to face him. "Damon, I feel like I've been run over by an eighteen wheeler. I'm moody, I'm bitchy, my boobs hurt, and I can't keep anything down." She counted off each of her problems on her fingers. Damon gently took her hands in his, noticing that they weren't clammy anymore and he kissed the backs of them.

"Day by day, Cassandra." He told her softly.

"You always say that." She pulled her hands back. "Day by day; day by day. I am sick and tired of hearing that! If I hear it one more time..." The hybrid finally realized that she was taking out her ranting and raving on the wrong person and she palmed her face. A long, drawn out sigh left her lips and she calmed herself before looking to her verbally abused husband who had taken her little fit in great strides. "Dammit, Damon. I'm sorry. I don't know when to keep my big mouth shut."

"Cass," Damon spoke.

"I'm just a mess lately and I'm not making our marriage any better." She walked past him into their bedroom and Damon was quick to follow her.

"Cass," he called to her again.

Her hands yanked the damp nightgown up over her head and she tossed it into the laundry bin. She then turned her back to him and opened her drawer, rifling around for another nightgown to wear to bed. "Everything is falling apart and its only getting-"

"Cass!" Her ranting stopped and she looked at him over her shoulder, nightgown in hand. "Just relax, okay? We get moody and anxious. It happens." He said and she huffed, putting the nightgown on.

"Look, I'm sorry."

"And what are you sorry for exactly?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"About this. About everything." She gestured, waving her arms.

"Well, if you're apologizing for the whole "getting knocked up" thing. It takes two to tango, honey." He sat himself on the bed and patted the spot beside him, a silent plea to join him and try to get some sleep.

Cassandra frowned and made her way over to the bed, her bare feet practically dragging against the hardwood floor. She plopped down in a heap on the cushiony mattress and flipped her pillow over to the cooler side. She peered up at Damon through long, ribbon like lashes and snuggled into her pillow. "This is just all so unexpected."

Damon slid down on the bed so he was lying next to her with his arm propped up under him. "I know it is, but it was something that we always wanted, right?"

"Oh, of course this is something I want, Damon. I just didn't think it would be so...strenuous." The two chuckled at her choice of word, mainly because being supernatural, everything came easily to them. "How do you do it? I would think after spending a summer with me being pregnant that you'd want me out of this house."

"Actually, the second you fall back asleep, all of your crap will be on the front lawn." He smirked.

"Damon," she deadpanned, a grin pulling at the corners of her lips.

"You know I'm only kidding."

"I would hope so." She quipped.

"As for handling you being pregnant, I have some experience." Damon said and Cassandra's eyebrows crinkled. "Well, I was around when my mom was pregnant with Stefan."

Cassandra mimicked his position, clearly interested in hearing more. She never knew Stefan and Damon when they were children, so it being mentioned was like unlocking the Salvatore vault. "But, you were just a baby yourself."

"Nah, I was young, but not a baby. I was a bit of a mama's boy and I'd always spend time around her, so I was one of the first people to notice that something was up with her." Damon rarely talked about his childhood since it was riddled with his verbally abusive father, but Cassandra let him continue, eager for him to talk about it. Cassandra had always wondered if Giuseppe ever raised his hands to Damon, but she knew that if he did and she saw it that she would strike him back where he stood. She never understood why parents would beat their children and it hurt her to even think that Giuseppe would beat his son until he was battered and bruised. "She would get sick and sometimes she'd lose her temper with me and my dad, but she'd always apologize. I would do my little part to make her feel better and I think it worked." Cassandra could see it now; a little boy with a tuft of black hair rushing to his mother's bedside to kiss her good morning or to hold her hand when she was feeling ill. One thing was for certain, Damon definitely got his compassion from his mother.

"I always wished that I could have met her." Cassandra smiled warmly. "She sounds like an amazing woman."

Damon smiled too, but it faltered remembering the very end of his mother's life on earth. After giving birth to Stefan, she contracted an illness that made her wither away in front of everyone's eyes. Damon could only watch as his mother grew weaker and weaker with each passing day. She was taken from him much too young and it wrecked him. He didn't have anyone who would protect him from his father's abuse and rage. Not even Stefan could help defend his older brother from their father.

Cassandra watched his expression change within a matter of seconds and she cupped his cheek. "Hey, I'm sorry for making you talk about your mom. We don't have to talk about her if you don't want to."

Her hand on his cheek brought him comfort and warmth that he would never get tired of. Damon quickly buried all thoughts of his rough childhood and adulthood away in the dark corners of his mind and looked into her brown eyes that he loved so much. Through all of the mood swings and morning sickness, she was still his one and only love. And while he knew that the road for them would only get harder, he swore to love her just the same as the day he met her. "We're going to be fine, Cassandra. I promise."

Nodding surely, his wife pressed a kiss to his lips. Her thumb caressed his cheekbone tenderly and her index finger trailed down his defined jaw line. If he was willing to promise that they would survive all of this, she'd be damn sure to hold up her side of the deal. She wouldn't give up on him. She'd rather be staked and dumped in a vat of vervain than give up on the person who has been by her side through thick and thin.

_We'll survive this_, the words echoed in her head, slowly lulling her to sleep.

_We always survive._

* * *

"Damon, I'm not going to get any work done if you keep-" A loud gasp fell from Cassandra's lips as her husband ran his tongue over a sensitive spot on her neck. She had been trying to get some laundry done when her husband strolled in. She gave a noble effort of fighting him off, but Damon was just too insatiable for words. He then bit down on the skin roughly, making her call out and sending her into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

"C'mon, you said that you're feeling better and you are positively glowing today." He grinned and spun her around to face him. "The laundry can wait." He quickly hoisted her up onto the washing machine and stood between her legs. He kissed her hard and Cassandra moaned wantonly against his lips. His kisses were mind numbing and she craved those sinful lips of his on other parts of her body which were screaming for attention. She crossed her legs at her ankles, trapping his body close to hers and shuddered when his lips trailed over her neck.

"I...I don't have any clean clothes." She tried to tell him, but it came out as more of a whimper than a statement. That part was true; Cassandra insisted on washing every piece of clothing that was in her suitcase even if they were clean or if she didn't wear it when she was away. OCD at its finest.

Damon smirked up at her and palmed her breasts through her thin tank top. "Well, then I certainly wouldn't object to you walking around the house naked." He quickly flashed them upstairs where he situated Cassandra to straddle his lap and she bit her bottom lip before smashing her lips onto his. It had been such a long time since they had been like this, too long have they gone without the intimate touches that they so craved from one another. Well, at least for Damon, two months was much too long to not enjoy his wife. Cassandra's hands slid underneath his cotton shirt and her fingers walked up his defined chest. His hard planes and defined muscles made her inner desires burn and she scratched down his chest, making the vampire below her growl. Damon's hands trailed along her smooth thighs, which looked so good in denim shorts might he add, before curving around her behind to pull her further onto him. Her hips ground down on him, cradling his already straining erection which was fighting to be released from his denim prison. As if sensing her husband's need, Cassandra's nimble fingers flicked open the button of his jeans and dragged the zipper down ever so slowly. Whimpering against her lips, Damon plead with her to please get on with it and Cassandra's right hand slid into his open jeans and fisted his hard length when-

The slamming of the front door made Cassandra immediately retract her hand and whip around to see Jeremy blushing and averting his eyes from their tangled position on the couch. She pulled away from Damon, but not without having her bottom lip get pulled roughly by his teeth.

"Jesus, Jer! Hey, uhm..." Cassandra climbed off her husband and snatched up one of the throw pillows to place it over Damon's groin. "Uh, we...thought that you...left."

Jeremy couldn't even look at her, he was a little too embarrassed. "Yeah, I, uh, did. Five hours ago."

"I'm sorry, but we...ah..." As Cassandra struggled for the right words to say, the teen happened to steal a glance at Damon who was shooing him out of the room with a flick of his hand. "Well, there's food in the fridge if you..." Jeremy had taken Damon's kind hint and left the room, leaving Cassandra to laugh off the awkwardness of what had just occurred. Damon didn't look fazed at all by being walked in on with his wife's hand practically in his pants; if anything, he was annoyed that Jeremy turned their sexy time into one giant awkward cluster-fuck.

"Well," Damon started and adjusted his seat on the couch, jostling the pillow that was propped up against his open fly. "That went well."

"That kid is gonna have nightmares." She grimaced and happened to catch her husband drumming his hand on the pillow as if to call her back to his den of forbidden pleasure. He wiggled his eyebrows and gave her that smoldering smirk that he knew she just couldn't resist.

"Let me just check on him." Cassandra said and her husband pouted along with giving her the most adorable puppy dog eyes.

"But..."

"It'll only a second. I promise." She pranced to him and kissed him quickly before darting off into the kitchen where Jeremy was nuking a slice of pizza in the microwave.

"Sorry, I didn't know if you wanted a piece so I just heated up one for myself." He stated and gestured toward the small box with some more slices inside. "You want?"

It was a tempting offer, but the very smell of the pizza being heated up was making her feel slightly sick. Swallowing her nausea, Cassandra just shook her head and tried to ignore the smell in the air. "No, thanks. I'm not hungry."

"I would have asked, but you seemed pretty busy." He added humorously.

Cassandra clicked her teeth unconsciously. "Yeah...I'm really sorry about that and for Damon snapping at you a couple of nights ago."

"What's his problem anyway?" He asked and the microwave beeped, signaling that his lunch was finished heating up.

"He's just very protective over me, Jer. You know that." She looked away from the pizza and traipsed to the fridge to find something that would mask the smell of the pizza. Finding what she was looking for, her hand curled around a cool plastic bag and she grabbed a straw from one of the drawers.

"I know, but I was just trying to help." The teen took a bite of his food but then remembered that it was way too hot to be consumed. He chewed the piece of pizza in his mouth quickly even though the roof of his mouth and tongue were burning. Looking to cool his mouth off, he gripped a water bottle from the fridge and downed half of it.

"I told Damon that." She sipped daintily from the straw and prayed that she wouldn't throw it up all over the freshly cleaned floor. "But, thank you for trying to help."

"No problem." He smiled.

Cassandra took a few more sips thanked the powers that be that she was at least feeling better to have some kind of nourishment. Sure, it wasn't real food, she'd try that later, but her body was starting to weaken from the lack of blood. "Hey, listen, have you spoken to Bonnie lately?"

The teen looked up at her and nodded with a mouthful of pizza. Was this kid raised by wolves? Although, Cassandra was sure that she'd be just as ravenous as he was after not being able to consume food for a few days.

"Because I tried calling her and she hasn't returned my calls." She and Damon had been ringing the witch's phone all summer. It was a reach, but maybe Bonnie had some answers as to why and how Cassandra had gotten pregnant.

Jeremy swallowed his food and downed some more water before replying. "Yeah, she's at the Grand Canyon now, so her phone is acting up. Why? What did you need her for?"

Her hands unconsciously tightened around the bag, thinking of what she'd need Bonnie for. "Oh, well, I've been having really bad nightmares lately and I wanted to know if she could recommend some kind of tea that would calm my nerves." Another lie to add to the pile. It was tough work keeping this pregnancy under wraps.

"You know, she replies a little quicker to emails. I can email her for you if you want." Jeremy offered. Ah, always the helpful Gilbert boy.

"No, it's fine. I'll do it." Cassandra shrugged, but inside she was jumping out of her skin. Finally, she'd get to talk with Bonnie and maybe her and Damon could sleep easier at night. "Thanks, Jer." She pranced out of the kitchen and Jeremy let a pensive look creep onto his face.

Since he was answering Bonnie's emails all summer, he noticed that the phone got quite a few calls and voicemails from both Damon and Cassandra. He'd play them for Bonnie and ask her what to reply back, but she told him to just leave it be. Jeremy hated not knowing things, so he play the messages back on more than one occasion to himself. None of them had any kind of clues as to what the couple needed Bonnie for, but each one held a sense of urgency that made Jeremy a little edgy. He highly doubted that Cassandra's nightmares would be the cause of 50+ calls and messages unless they really were that severe. And if Bonnie knew and heard that their messages were so urgent, why would she ignore them? Someone was lying to him. Now it was a question of figuring out who and why and more importantly, what were they lying about?

* * *

Caroline yanked open the packing tape on yet another box while Elena was neatly folding her clothes and placing them into drawers. Today was move-in day at Whitmore College and their lives as functional vampires in college were just beginning. The entire summer was spent buying everything to get the girls ready for classes and now they were unpacking boxes upon boxes of things to make their dorm room a lot less drab and dull. The blonde vampire had already picked out a color scheme that would serve as the background for nights of cramming and finishing papers while Elena was helping to organize the plethora of small appliances they brought to the dorm room. Everything was going perfectly to plan when they got news of a third roommate that would be joining them.

The girl's name was Megan and needless to say, the two vampires were less than pleased that housing had managed to mess up their room assignments. They had purposely set it up so that they could have a room alone with no human eyes. So, being the control freak and boss that she was so well known for, Caroline sent Megan down to housing and hoped that she would only come back to move her things.

"Here they are." Caroline spoke and hugged an under bed box close to her chest.

Elena turned herself away from her clothes to eye her curiously. "Here are what?"

"My shoes." The blonde stated obviously and walked over to her bed. She knelt onto the floor and lifted up the bed skirt to slide it underneath, but another box was in her way. "What the..." She pulled the other box from under the bed to see that it was beautifully wrapped with a big bow on it. A card hung from the side and she read it quickly.

_Just a little something for you to start college._

_Love, Cassandra._

Elena was now hovering over Caroline and she checked under her bed to find a gift from the hybrid as well. The girls exchanged a glance at one another before ripping the paper off their presents like little kids on Christmas morning.

"Oh."

"My."

"God!" Both girls squealed seeing brand new laptops nestled inside the mess of tissue paper. Knowing Cassandra, she'd gotten them the top of the line in electronics and they couldn't wait to charge them up and use them.

"She is out of her mind!" Caroline scooped up the laptop and charger before sprinting to the wall to plug it in. "Now I know why my mom told me not to get a laptop..."

Elena giggled and pulled out her cell phone, dialing the hybrid's number. She hoped that she would answer since she and Damon had been gone all summer. It was a little lonely and boring not having the couple around, but like everyone else, they were entitled to some relaxation too.

_"Hello?"_

"You, woman, are crazy." Elena said and plopped down on her bed. "Cassandra, this is too much!"

Cassandra smiled brightly and laughed heartily. _"It's just a little something for you girls and consider it an __'I'm sorry for not being around all summer' __present."_

"You're forgiven!" Caroline shouted excitedly from her bed.

_"How are you girls settling in? Everything okay?"_ She asked.

"Well, yes and no." Elena frowned. "We have a third roommate."

_"What? But I thought you guys-"_

"We did, but housing totally messed up and we're trying to get her out of our room." The blonde grumbled. "I mean, what if I get hungry and I want to eat her?"

_"I'm sure housing will fix it. You know, you can always compel her."_ The hybrid offered.

"That will be our next move." Elena sighed. "Everything else at home is good?"

_"Yep, Jeremy is off at school and everything is under control."_ She did promise to herself and the Gilbert sister that she would look out for Jeremy since he was pretty much on his own. _"Damon and I will take good care of him."_

"Good," the vampire trailed off and then prepared herself to ask a question that she had floating around in her head the entire summer. "So, how are _you_ doing?" She asked seriously and she could practically hear Cassandra's nose wrinkling over the phone.

_"I'm fine. What do you mean?"_

"Well, you and Damon took off without notice." The vampire said. "And you guys didn't call at all this summer."

Cassandra let out a long sigh and flopped down onto her bed. _"I know and I'm sorry, Elena. I really am. Damon and I are just really stressed lately and we needed some time to ourselves."_

Both vampires went quiet, looking at one another warily. "Wait, you guys aren't thinking about...calling it quits, are you?!"

_"No, no, no!"_ She shook her head. _"Elena, I love Damon more than anything and after all of the stuff we've been through, we'd be stupid to call it quits. We just hit a little bump in the road."_ Her hand instinctively patted her stomach. Funny, she thought to herself. Her little bump would soon grow into a big one, throwing everything off track. Hence the "bump in the road" metaphor.

Elena quelled her nerves, keeping them under control. "Oh, good! Because you two are really happy together."

_"I am happy."_ A warm, sweet smile touched Cassandra's lips. _"Damon makes me happy. We're just going through some stuff."_

"Well, you know if you need anything that Care and I are here." The phone was then transferred to the blonde vampire.

"And listen to me about Damon." Caroline stated. "He loves you so much and would do anything for you. I know that Damon and I have had our beefs, but I'm happy for the two of you. And he should know that if he messes it up, I'm going to yank his throat out."

_"Thanks for the visual."_ The hybrid could see the vivid image of blood and the thought was making her queasy. _"But anyways, I'm proud of the two of you. Doing the whole college thing."_

"Yeah, we're excited. I'll be even more excited to try out this new laptop." Caroline beamed. "Thanks again, Mrs. S."

_"Enjoy them. You girls deserve it."_ Cassandra said and heard Damon calling her from downstairs, so she climbed out of bed and traipsed down the staircase._"Listen, I've gotta run, but play nice with the other freshman and don't do anything I wouldn't do."_ She told them. _"And one more thing-"_

"We know, we know." Caroline droned, holding the phone away from her ear and Elena leaned in. "Be careful."

_"Bye girls."_ Cassandra clicked off her phone and hopped down the rest of the steps to see Damon standing in the parlor with the last person she ever think would be in their home.

"It's been a long summer, Damon." Katherine murmured. Her hair was a complete mess and her makeup was smeared all over her face. Her clothes were also worn and torn. Obviously being human wasn't treating her well.

"Katherine." The raven haired vampire recoiled from her disheveled appearance and the two remained looking at each other.

"Well, since no one in this house has said it yet, I will." Cassandra cut in, standing on the opposite side of the room. She was leaning against the doorframe, one hip jutted out. "You look like crap."

* * *

"You're gonna have to cut me off soon." Katherine noted as she poured herself another glass of bourbon. "My tolerance is a joke now. It's just so...glorious." She was putting on a brave face, but Damon and Cassandra could see right through her.

"You're miserable," Damon deadpanned.

"Please. I'm Katherine Pierce – I'm a survivor." The human Petrova took a long sip from her glass.

"Even though you're a human, you're still a dirty little liar. Your hair's a mess and you're in desperate need of a manicure." Cassandra stated and Katherine frowned down at her chipped nails. "So, what do you want? To be a vampire again?"

Katherine seemed to think it over for a moment or two, but she shook her head. "I can't, okay? No one's ever taken the cure before. If I die, there's a good chance I may never wake up."

Damon scoffed loudly and took up the bourbon tumbler from the table. "And _that_ would be tragic."

"Do us all a favor, Katherine. Get out of here." The hybrid glowered when the house phone rang. She reached for it, but Katherine snatched it up first.

"Salvatore residence." She purred. "Hello, Principal Weber. This is Elena. Oh, dear. We'll find him." After trying and failing miserably to pose as Elena, Katherine hung up and turned to the two of them.

"So, Jeremy's been expelled. Elena will be cool with that, right?" She smirked and Damon rolled his eyes. The kid was in school for barely a day and he was already expelled.

"When we get back here, you're gone." He eased a jacket onto his wife's shoulders and started to walk out the door, but Katherine jogged up to them.

"Wait, Damon. There's someone chasing me." She blabbed.

"Then run. From what I remember, you're good at that." Cassandra said.

"No, you don't understand. I have enemies everywhere. What happens when word gets out that I'm a human? I can't protect myself!" She was begging at their feet, something that was very foreign to them. "I'm weak and I'm slow. Do you have any idea what it's like to run in heels? I have blisters! Please, just... help me." It was a sad sight to see Katherine groveling for help, a woman who was once independent was now pathetically pleading with them for a place to stay.

"We'll discuss this when we get home." Cassandra offered. "For now, just lay low, don't touch my stuff, and don't break anything."

* * *

"One day. _One day_ where you don't screw it up." Damon growled and sat at Jeremy's table at the Grill.

"Leave me alone, Damon." The teen grumbled.

"You're lucky you didn't put one of those idiots in ICU." He hissed.

Jeremy sent a glare his way. "Says the guy who once killed me."

"Yes! In the privacy of your own home! Away from prying eyes!" The vampire said in a matter of fact tone. "Unlike you who went all hunter in the middle of a hallway. You got expelled, genius."

"Does that mean I don't have to go back to school?" There the tiniest sliver of hope in his voice.

"Cassandra compelled Principal Weber into a very generous three-day suspension." He replied and checked his phone to see that Cassandra was finishing up the meeting and would meet him soon. "Elena does not need to know about this. Finish eating, meet me outside." He rose from the table and turned to see a very familiar face, one that he had missed seeing all summer. However, things weren't always as they seemed.

"Hello, Damon." Silas greeted.

To say that he was shocked into silence was an understatement, but Damon managed to muster up something to say. "Stefan. Welcome home."

"Thanks." He smiled and did a very un-Stefan like move. He hugged his older brother, patting him on the back in a brotherly fashion and Damon was once again at a loss for words. He couldn't remember a time in their vampire lives where they...hugged each other. All in all it was an odd experience and Damon pulled back to give his brother an awkward half-smile.

"Join me for a drink?" The younger Salvatore asked and Damon, never one to pass up a drink, accepted. They sat at the bar and ordered their drinks.

"Look, I get why you haven't called me back all summer. I wouldn't call me back either." Damon started.

"You mean because you and your wife just skipped town without saying goodbye?" Silas jeered and Damon gave him an incredulous look. "I'm over it. Cheers." Damon sipped idly at his drink while the man pretending to be his brother fished around in his head, looking around for anything of use.

"Katherine's living at Château Salvatore." He stated.

"How do you know that?" Damon asked.

"Because I can read your mind." He smirked and saw that Damon wasn't buying his joke. "I'm kidding, buddy. Katherine called me first. Remember? It's always been me first."

Damon nodded, at least Katherine would have someone to cling onto in her pathetic vampire-less state. "Right." Jeremy walked up to them at the bar to let Damon know that he was finished eating and Silas placed a hand on Jeremy's upper arm. An indescribable chill ran up his arm and the teen looked uneasy.

"Hey, Jeremy. Looking good, man." He grinned.

"Hey, Stefan. Glad you're back." Jeremy said as smoothly as possible.

"Yeah... yeah." Silas looked to Damon who was still nursing his drink. "All right, I'll, uh, see you at home."

"Great." Damon nodded and Jeremy watched the younger Salvatore leave, but he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Something's wrong. When he touched me, I felt a chill where my tattoo was." He hushed to Damon.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"Right before I died, Silas grabbed me and I felt the same thing." Jeremy explained.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Silas is gone. Bonnie turned him into a big piece of rock, remember?"

Before Jeremy could answer, Bonnie appeared by his side, a look of worry strewn on her face. "I died. Jeremy, I bound the magic that took down Silas. When I died, the spell must've broken. He's free."

"That was Silas." Jeremy implored, his own panic level rising.

"That's impossible." The vampire denied it.

"I'm a hunter. Our whole reason for existing is to kill him. I know what I'm feeling, Damon. That - that was Silas." He said.

"I just watched him walk through a crowd of people that saw Stefan. There's no way he could fool that many people at once. I mean, he's psychic, but no one's that psychic." Damon shook his head.

"What did he want?" Jeremy asked and the vampire thought on it for a few seconds, but his mind came up completely blank.

* * *

Cassandra tossed her belongings on her bed and stripped off her jacket as she traipsed to the bathroom. After compelling Jeremy's principal and most of the school staff to only give Jeremy a three day suspension instead of immediate expulsion, she was greatly looking forward to soaking in a nice hot bath. Clearly, life had other plans for her because Katherine was submerged in a bubble bath and shaving her legs with one of Damon's old fashioned razors. At least she looked a little more put together and the dirt and smeared make up was washed from her skin.

"You're joking, right?" Cassandra glared at the human. "There are other bathrooms in this house."

"Well, I wanted to use this one." She pouted and very carefully ran the razor over her leg.

Clenching her fists, she growled under her breath and crossed her arms over her chest. "Whatever, just don't cut yourself because then I might have to eat you." Katherine gulped at that comment, once again remembering that she was on the bottom of the food chain.

"That's a tempting offer." Silas smirked in the doorway of the bathroom, but Cassandra only saw the face of her brother-in-law.

"Man, you are a sight for sore eyes." Cassandra quipped and ran the faucet to wash her hands. "No phone call? No postcard?"

Silas chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it's not like you and Damon sent any either."

"Ouch," Cassandra winced. "Fine. What's fair is fair." While she was drying off her hands, Silas used the same trick that he did on Damon at the Grill and found a piece of information that was especially interesting.

"So, how's being pregnant treating you?" Silence engulfed the room and Cassandra was frozen in her spot at the sink. Even Katherine's glance snapped up to eye Cassandra who's resistance was crumbling with each passing second.

The hybrid turned back to Stefan and shifted her weight on her feet. "What did you just say?"

"Oh, I ran into Damon at the Grill and he told me the good news." Silas smiled, completely ignoring the turmoil on Cassandra's face.

"No, he wouldn't have told you..." Her gaze drifted to Katherine who was leaning in close, listening intently to the news that was just shared. "We haven't told anyone."

"Hey, I mean, the secret is out. So, congratulations." Just the mannerisms he used and the Cheshire cat grin that Stefan wore made Cassandra's stomach drop. This wasn't Stefan; this was her worst nightmare come true.

"Silas." She gulped and took a step back from him.

"And once again you prove to be smarter than your husband." Silas grinned and saw her place a hand over her stomach protectively. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not here for _that_." Cassandra recoiled at the tone in his voice, talking about her baby like it was a thing rather than a person. Silas now glanced at Katherine who looked scared for her life and smirked. "I'm here for her."

Chaos managed to erupt in the time frame of a few seconds. Silas moved for Katherine, but Cassandra jumped on his back, choking his neck with the strong grip of her arms.

"Katherine, run!" She shouted and the human jumped from the tub, sloshing water all over in the process and she grabbed a robe from the hook behind the door. Silas threw Cassandra off him as if she weighed nothing and slammed her into the mirror by the tub with a hand at her neck. Her scalp burned as the glass shards poked and shredded the broken skin there and she placed a hand over Silas's.

"What did you do with Stefan?" She rasped and fought his hold.

"Maybe instead of telling you, I'll have you join him." Silas smirked evilly and Cassandra's other arm flailed around before grasping the razor that was perched on the edge of the tub. In one quick motion, she slashed Silas across the cheek with the blade, creating a deep wound and he let her go. Rushing from the bathroom, she vamp sped downstairs and screamed out when she came into contact with a hard body. Damon's hands caught her and she wrapped her arms around him tightly just as Silas walked at a leisurely pace down the steps.

"Did he hurt you? What happened?" Damon asked and Cassandra wordlessly placed a hand on the back of her head. He checked her scalp and could feel that her healing ability was pushing the glass shards from the wound.

"She did a lot more damage to me." Silas announced and wiped the remainder of blood off his cheek.

Damon nudged his wife behind him, anger flashing in his blue eyes. "What do you want, Silas?"

"You can put your guard down, Damon. I don't want your wife or your little demon spawn." Damon's anger only grew and Cassandra was holding herself back from using the razor again. "I only want Katherine, so get out of my way and tell me where she is."

"First, drop the Stefan look." Damon demanded and Silas simply chuckled. "What?"

* * *

A blood bag and an ice pack later, Cassandra's head had healed up and she was now sitting with Damon who was sitting opposite Silas. She was surprised that the first ever vampire hadn't killed them both yet. She was even more confused as to why he wanted Katherine. Damon had practically shoved Katherine out the door with Jeremy, telling him to drive her away and not tell him where they were going because Silas had the ability to read minds.

"If I have to hear the word 'doppelganger' one more time, I think I'm gonna actually have to learn how to spell it." Damon huffed.

Silas leaned back on the couch, making himself comfortable. "You say you don't believe me, and yet your mind is spinning at the possibility."

"A), Get out of my head; B), I think I'd know if my little brother had an evil twin." The raven haired vampire growled.

"Oh, we're not twins." Silas shook his head. "See, when I became truly immortal, Nature retaliated by creating a version of me that was killable. It's called a 'shadow-self'."

"It doesn't matter what you are. Your plan didn't work, Silas. The cure is gone." Cassandra said. "Now what do you want with Katherine?"

Silas examined the hybrid carefully before pursing his lips. "I could tell you, but wouldn't it be so much more fun if it were a surprise?"

"We're not going to let you get her." She hissed.

"How well do you two know Stefan?" Silas posed. "Do you really think he would leave town for three months without so much as a phone call, so you could live happily ever after with the love of your life?"

Cassandra leaned forward, placing her hands on her knees and she stared Silas down. "Where's Stefan?"

"He's suffering, like I suffered." He said and Damon's eyes were tinged with sadness. How had his brother been suffering the entire summer and he didn't even realize it. His own brother was in danger and he could only imagine the Silas pulled all of the stops in making Stefan suffer.

"Tell us where Stefan is." Cassandra demanded.

"Call the hunter, bring me Katherine, and then I will tell you where your little brother is." Silas looked to Damon who immediately pulled his phone to call Jeremy. He knew that he'd be giving up Katherine, but finding his brother was much more important.

"How far'd you get?" He asked as soon as Jeremy picked up the phone.

_"You said not to tell you."_ The teen said and Damon rolled his eyes.

"You pick _now_ to listen to me?"

Jeremy was silent for a few moments before replying. "_We just passed Old Miller Road."_

"Good. Turn around, bring her back." Damon ordered.

_"What? No!"_ They heard Katherine shout through the phone, but Damon quickly hung up the phone.

"Spill it. Where is Stefan?" Cassandra glared.

"Patience. When I get Katherine, you'll know where Stefan is." Silas assured her. "Although, after the condition you find him in, you might not want him back."

"You're a sick piece of shit." She seethed.

"Such foul language for a lady. You do know that your child can hear you, right?" He pointed to her and she shifted on the couch.

"Don't act like you care, Silas. You were the one to make me believe that I was pregnant." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Would you happen to have any answers as to how and why I'm pregnant?"

Silas didn't reply, he simply leaned back and looked between her and Damon. "Maybe I do have answers, but then again...maybe I don't." Had she really expected him to give her a straight answer? She wanted to take that smug smirk of his and slash it off his face, but he was clearly higher up in the supernatural food chain. Shaking her head, she watched as Damon's fingers rushed frantically over the keyboard on his phone. Old Miller Road was barely five minutes away, so why was Jeremy taking so long to come back? His nerves were rubbing together in-harmoniously and Cassandra was starting to worry now too.

"Ooh, your thoughts are churning. It's like a...spool of pink taffy. It's very messy, but very fun to watch." Silas jeered.

"Anyone ever tell you that's creepy?" The vampire quipped.

"You're worried." He stated. "Jeremy's not answering the phone. He should be back by now. You think something's very wrong."

* * *

Bonnie appeared by Jeremy's side and took his bloodied head in her hands. "Jeremy, hold on." She begged him, but he remained motionless on the gravel road. The witch saw the entire accident but was powerless to stop it. Katherine's fighting had caused him to veer the truck off the road and smash into an electric pole. The impact of the crash gave both Katherine and Jeremy bad injuries, but she managed to hobble away while he bled out helplessly.

"Hey, I know you can hear me. Jeremy." She shook him lightly, but knew that being a ghost, he couldn't feel her touch which was trying so hard to let him know that she was there with him. She then turned at the sound of Damon's car pulling up to the crash site and she vanished, allowing Damon and Cassandra to rush up to his lifeless body.

"Oh my God! Jeremy!" Cassandra knelt beside him and checked his pulse on the side of his neck. Her fingers probed the skin frantically, but she couldn't feel it. "Damon, he has no pulse."

The vampire tore open his wrist and pressed the bleeding wound to Jeremy's lips. "Jeremy! Open your eyes, Jer. You do not get to die on us, you hear me?"

"C'mon, Jeremy, you need to drink. We're supposed to be taking care of you, you little brat!" She smacked his cheeks.

"Wake up, or I'll kill you myself!" Damon warned and a beat of silence passed before Cassandra could hear his pulse start up again. Pressing her fingers to the skin on the side of his neck, his heart beat was now regulating its rhythm. He slowly opened his eyes, waking up and he looked at the pair who were utterly relieved that he was alright.

"I...I'm n-not a b-b-brat." He told Cassandra and she gave a short laugh.

"Of course you're not." She gently stroked his forehead, being mindful of his open wounds.

"K-Katherine...is...is gone." He added and Damon hugged the teen's body close to his.

"I don't care." The vampire murmured and patted his head, thanking whatever powers out there that brought Jeremy back. The two did have their disagreements, but deep down, they really did love another like brothers. Cassandra watched on and rubbed a hand over Jeremy's back, letting him know that she was happy he was back as well.

* * *

"Hey, sorry it took so long to call you back. Car trouble." Cassandra said into her phone.

_"What happened?"_ Elena asked worriedly.

"Ah...uh," she looked at the totaled car and fabricated yet another lie. "Some idiot broke the window, but based on your voice mail, you sound like you had a rough night. Are you okay? You can come home if you want to Elena."

The brunette vampire sighed heavily. _"I can't. And especially if my dad's connected to this somehow. I need to know why."_ While she was looking through Megan's phone, Elena came across a photo of Megan and her father Grayson. Needless to say, she was shaken up that there was a possibility that her parents were hiding things from her. She wouldn't come home until she got to the bottom of it.

"It's probably for the best that you do stay, but we're here for you if you need us, okay?" Cassandra leaned against the truck beside Damon while Jeremy listened on. Damon's blood had done the trick and healed his injuries from the crash.

_"Thanks, I'll talk to you soon."_ She said.

"Bye." Cassandra hung up and Jeremy gave her an accusing look.

"You didn't tell her Silas was here."

"Exactly. And I didn't tell her about Stefan missing, or that Katherine's in town, or that you got expelled." She listed them off on her fingers.

"So you lied." Jeremy frowned.

"No, she withheld a bit of the truth, so that Elena wouldn't drop everything and come running home to help." Damon stepped in and gave another look at the crashed car. "We'll figure all this out." He ushered both Cassandra and Jeremy to his car and they all tiredly piled inside. It had been a long night for everyone and if today was any indication on how the summer would end, they were already bracing themselves for one hell of a ride. Katherine being back was the least of their problems, but Silas moseying into town and wreaking havoc was something that no one needed. Cassandra watched as Damon's hands tightened around the steering wheel. She could see the guilt and turmoil playing on his features as thoughts of his lost brother crossed his mind. Damon and Stefan never had the best brotherly relationship ever since they turned, but Cassandra knew that Damon would go to hell and back for his brother.

* * *

**Well, it looks like things in Mystic Falls are off to a rough start. Cassandra's pregnancy will be a rough one and it will test her and Damon's marriage like never before. Even as a human, Katherine still continues to be a complete nuisance and Silas is already causing trouble. He knows about Cassandra's pregnancy and it will cause quite a stir in town. Hopefully within the next few episodes, Damon and Cassandra will find Stefan and get him out of the mess that he is been in all summer. Please review :)**

* * *

**tvdlover87654:** Thanks for reviewing! What did you think of the premieres? I hope that you enjoyed them and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well :)

**Guest:** Thank you for reviewing! I do like Klaus and Giuliana together, but I think that Elijah cares for her too. We'll have to see what happens ;) Marcel will definitely be the cause for some tension between him and Klaus. I think Hayley and Giuliana could actually become friends despite their arguments in the past. Giuliana is angry with Klaus for sleeping around, so let's see if he makes up for it.

**sarahmichellegellarfan1:** Thanks girl! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

**Silently Tearful:** Thank you for reviewing! I couldn't wait to start writing chapters too! I felt like I was slacking all summer for not writing :-P

**sweetdreams705:** Glad that you liked both promos! I am very excited that both shows have finally started :) Thanks for reviewing!

Thank you, Damon ;) *jumps him*

I had a wonderful birthday, Klaus! *smiles and rocks on the balls of my feet*

Hmm, I wonder what my gift would be, Kol! *smirks mischievously*

PS: I absolutely FLIPPED when I saw those birthday wishes ;) Thanks so much for them and from you too!

**grapejuice101****: **Thanks for reviewing, girl! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Seira asami: **Thank you for your review! I do like Klaus and Giuliana and they will have their moments together, but Marcel has taken an interest in her too ;) Klaus no likey, LOL!

**SomebodyWhoCares: **Thanks girl :)

**shippolove844: **Thank you for reviewing! I am so happy that both shows started and I'm ready to write!

**xoxobianca13: **Thanks so much for reviewing, girl! Glad you enjoyed the promos and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I love the Giuliana/Klaus and Cassandra/Damon interactions too :D

**Cori Tom: **Oh, no girl. You know _me_ too well ;)

**rosa: **Thanks for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

**Guest: **Thank you for reviewing! I wrote in the chapter that Cassandra has not started showing yet, but within the next few months, her belly will start to grow and it will be hard to hide.


	4. Always and Forever (TO)

**Bloodlines**

**Chapter 2: Always and Forever (TO)**

**Beta:**** PrincessOfSilence**

**Disclaimer:**** I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.**

* * *

"Welcome to New Orleans, and the crown jewel of the Crescent city, the French Quarter." A tall African American woman announced to a crowd of eager tourists. The streets were dark with only the dim streetlights illuminating the damp pavement. The group of tourists packed together tightly, but they were excitedly looking around at the stunning architecture of the buildings and the hauntingly beautiful sights that they were nestled in the middle of. The tour guide began to lead the group down the street and they followed, taking out their iPhones to snap some memories, but one guest was more interested in talking with the guide as opposed to seeing the sights. Green eyes gleamed in the lamplight and long locks of hair flowed behind her as she kept up with the group.

"Jazz and jambalaya, romance, poetry, not to mention the things that go bump in the night. Monsters that feed off human blood, vengeful spirits of the dead, and my personal favorite, the witches." She said the last bit with a winning smile as if she shared a personal connection with witches and the tourists were eating up her story about goblins and monsters. Spooked girlfriends loops their arms with their significant others while some waved off the tales of monsters, calling their bluff, but the green-eyed girl knew all too well of the monsters that crawled in the darkest of shadows.

The woman stopped before a store front on the corner and gestured grandly to the building. "Here we have the voodoo shop, Jardin Gris. Go on, browse for a hex." She encouraged and ushered them inside. All of them filed inside the store, all but one.

"C'mon, there's nothing to be afraid of." She jeered to the green eyed woman. "All that talk about monsters and witches is all just for show."

Giuliana stepped forward, her hands nestled in the pockets of her jacket and she gave an inquisitive smile. "Are you Sabine?"

The woman seemed taken aback that this girl knew who she was, but she nodded hesitantly. "I...yes."

"I need to ask you some questions. I'm looking for a witch." Giuliana spoke.

"Hey, look, I told you before; that was all just for show. The tourists like a little 'hocus pocus.' They gobble it up, but witches aren't real." She crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly becoming very defensive about why this girl was asking questions about witches.

"Please, Sabine. It's really important." She implored, but Sabine wasn't having it. Her hands rose and her lips parted to start a chant, but someone materialized between the two women within a blink of an eye.

"I hardly think that the use of magic is necessary," Elijah chided the witch and her hands immediately fell back to her sides.

Giuliana pouted, kicking the ground with the heel of her boot. "I told you that I had this."

Elijah turned over his shoulder, an amused glint in his eyes. "You weren't getting very far."

"Well, if you would have given me a little more time." She grumbled.

"You're Elijah." Sabine stated.

"You know who I am?" The Original turned his attention to the witch and Giuliana was now standing beside him.

"Original vampire; always wears a suit." Sabine described and Elijah flashed a charming smile. "You and your family are famous amongst the witches, especially with your... brother back in town."

"Well, Niklaus is here because he learned that a witch was conspiring against him. Someone by the name of Jane-Anne Deveraux," Elijah explained while fixing the sleeve of his suit jacket.

Sabine's face dropped, sadness encompassing her features. "Well, if he's looking for Jane Anne, he's a little late."

"Are you telling me she's dead?" Elijah asked stoically and Giuliana frowned as well.

"Come on, her sister Sophie's gonna want to talk to you." Sabine led the way down intertwining streets until they came to an alley in the French Quarter. A crowd of crying witches surrounded the body of a woman, presumably Jane-Anne, lying dead on the floor. Her neck was covered in dried blood, the skin clearly cut with some impressive show of force. Some of the witches had placed lit candles and flowers around her corpse to show respect for the dead. A small woman kneeled by Jane-Anne's lifeless side, weeping silently while Elijah, Sabine, and Giuliana stood off some distance away. Being respectful, they wanted to give the mourning witches their space.

"That's Jane-Anne? Killed in public for anyone to find..." Elijah trailed off, his eye were unable to stray from Jane-Anne's body.

"Only people that come around here are the witches. Now her sister has come to take her body. Her spirit can't rest until it's been properly interred in the cemetery." Sabine explained.

"Who would do something like this?" Giuliana asked tensely. She was disgusted that someone could just take a life and leave it out in the streets to rot.

"Please tell me that my brother had nothing to do with this." The Original added, hoping that Klaus's temper hadn't gotten the best of him.

Sabine shook her head gravely. "No. Jane-Anne died because she got caught doing magic."

"What? But witches are supposed to perform magic." Giuliana said when a loud whistle could be heard coming from the opposite end of the street. The crowd of witches chattered nervously between one another, their mourning being broken up by some unwanted guests.

Sabine now looked worriedly down the street. "You wanna know who killed Jane-Anne? You're about to get your first glimpse of Marcel in action."

Elijah's ears perked up at the very familiar name on the witch's tongue. "The vampire Marcel?"

Sabine nodded, her eyes flicking anxiously between the Original and the band of vampires that were making their way down the street. "Things have changed since your family left town. Marcel has changed." Vampires approached the witches, hooting and whistling raucously while the latter party remained still, clearly outnumbered by the bloodsuckers.

"I'm asking you, stay hidden. If Marcel finds out that a witch lured the Originals back into town, my people will be slaughtered." Sabine pleaded with them and darted back into the direction she came from while Elijah yanked Giuliana close to him and looked to the balcony above.

"Oh...oh no, we're not going up-" she clutched his suit jacket as he vamp sped them to a shadowed spot on the upper balcony. The shadows covered them perfectly so they were hidden and that they could see what was happening down below. Elijah motioned to Giuliana to be quiet and she nodded silently as she removed her fingers from his lapel. On the street, a dark skinned gentleman had seemed to take charge of the vampires and the group listened to him. He must be the famous Marcel that Sabine had been so frightened of.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? I gotta tell you Soph; this street corner is not proving the luckiest spot for your family tonight. Not half an hour ago, we had to teach your sister a little lesson." Marcel smirked and the vampires snickered evilly, clearly disrespecting the dead.

Sophie stood with hot tears in her eyes. "We're putting her to rest Marcel. Leave us alone."

Marcel tsked and wagged his finger at the young witch. "I never said you could move the body. Matter of fact, I left her here for a reason: send a message. If anybody is thinking of joining some kind of rebellion, my rules state that witches can't practice magic in the Quarter and yet a little birdy informed me that Jane-Anne was cooking up something magically delicious." The witches all hung their heads, afraid to even look Marcel in the eye, fearful that he would do the same treatment to them that he had done to Jane-Anne or worse.

"Oh, yeah. While I have you, quick Q&A. My old friend—the hybrid, Klaus—he just happened to show up out of the blue asking for, of all people, Jane-Anne. Any idea why?" Marcel asked curiously and Giuliana gave a sideways glance to Elijah who was too enraptured with the scene unfurling before him.

Sophie stood her ground, clenching her teeth. "I don't know. Witches don't get involved in vampire business."

"Hmm. That would be pretty stupid, that's for sure." The vampire grinned and sauntered behind the witch, making her visibly cower, but she tried her best not to show it. "Tell you what, go back to the restaurant, cook up some of that famous gumbo, and keep those tourists happy." Sophie clenched her fists at her side, wanting Marcel away from her.

Marcel then looked to his cronies and pointed to Jane-Anne. "Take the body."

The witches murmured between one another and Sophie whirled on Marcel who had started to walk away. "What? No!" A vampire bent down to pick up her sister's body and she charged at him, but another vampire was there to hold her back. "Stop! Stop! Marcel!"

"I'm gonna hold on to your sister's body in case maybe you remember why Klaus is here." Marcel told her and Giuliana frowned sadly, watching Sophie whimper.

"Marcel, please. Her body won't be at peace." She begged desperately, but Marcel was uncaring to listen.

"Not my problem." He shouted over his shoulder as his cronies followed him back down the Quarter. The witches left too without putting up any kind of fight and some were even harassed by the vampires. Giuliana and Elijah emerged from their hiding place and stood on the rickety balcony. The old wood creaked and groaned beneath their feet, but it wasn't enough noise to draw attention to themselves.

"You know him?" She asked disgustedly.

Elijah sighed heavily. "Yes, I do. Although he was a lot less entitled when I knew him."

"Well, with all due respect, that guy is a dick-" One wrong step and Giuliana's foot became wedged in the rungs of the boards on the balcony. The wood snapped loudly, some of the planks clacking on the street below. She gave a grunt of pain as she braced her hands on the boards that were intact.

"Are you alright?" Elijah immediately crouched down to her level.

Giuliana wiggled her ankle, a sharp pain shooting up her leg. "My foot is stuck."

_"What was that noise?"_

_"I don't know, man. Go check it out."_

_"Hopefully it'll be another witch misbehaving so we can grab some dinner."_Voices made Giuliana freeze and a look of panic cross Elijah's face. Some of Marcel's men were coming back to investigate and they could not be seen.

"Get me up! Get me up!" She hushed and pushed against the floor, trying to squeeze her leg from being stuck between the boards.

"Take my hands." Elijah instructed and she grasped them tightly. With one strong kick, he obliterated the rest of the wood and flashed them away before they could both plummet to the floor. He whisked her away to a dark alley and hid her in the dark corner. He pressed his body into hers, molding her to the wall and covered her mouth with his hand.

"Stay down and do not make a sound." He ordered and he was gone just like that. Giuliana crouched down low, shielding herself behind some boxes and prayed that Elijah would come back soon. The two approaching vampires were coming closer and she was desperately trying to calm her heartbeat and the pain in her ankle. The pair walked past the entrance of the alley, but the smell of fresh blood caught their nostrils.

"Hey, you smell that?" One asked.

The other sniffed the crisp air, smirking when he caught the ambrosial smell they so hungered for. Giuliana looked down to her ankle and pulled the material of her jeans aside. Her skin was scratched up where it had gotten caught and little splinters of wood stuck out of the bleeding skin.

Oh no...

"Yum. Someone's eating well tonight." Now they were closing in on her, zeroing in on the smell and following it like hound-dogs. Giuliana's hand slipped into her jacket pocket, her fingers curling around a stake. If she had to protect herself, she would, but she wasn't sure how well she'd fare with an injured ankle. Just as the vampires were within a few meters away from her, a sound from outside the alley distracted them. They stopped in their tracks and looked toward the noise, assessing it for a moment or two.

"You think they got away?" The one vampire posed and the other grumbled under his breath.

"Probably tried to throw us off. Whatever man, let's go pick off some of the locals." He said and the vamp sped from the alley. Giuliana waited for a few seconds of silence to pass before climbing shakily to her feet. The alley was now empty, save for a couple of piles of garbage and she let out a sigh of relief that she had managed to escape her demise with Elijah's help.

"Thank you." She whispered and turned to see him standing behind her.

He gave her a dashing smile, but it faltered seeing her shift her weight on her feet. "You're hurt."

"It's just a scratch." She shook it off and tried to balance herself.

"Take my blood." Elijah offered.

"I told you. I'm fine." Giuliana assured him and hobbled the first couple of steps to start out of the alley. He watched her with a curious look, he remembered how stubborn she was when they met in the eleven hundreds and she still kept that strong wit even after all of those years.

"What are you waiting for?" She shouted down the alley once she saw that he wasn't following her. "I'm not getting any younger!" Elijah smirked to himself at that and quickly followed her, keeping up the pace.

* * *

The French Quarter was alive with throng of vampires crawling along the streets. They were hardly subtle and showcased their supernatural abilities without fear of persecution. Elijah had never seen such a display of lechery and hedonism, especially in the modern day and in public. They certainly were a rowdy bunch and they made sure to show it. As Giuliana and Elijah walked along the streets, he made sure to slip a protective arm around the woman's waist. He felt uneasy around these arrogant young vampires and he wanted them to know that Giuliana was not to be trifled with or else they would have to answer to him. Giuliana was keeping up well with his quick pace since he badgered her to stop into an urgent care after they had their first encounter with Sophie. The doctor on staff wrapped a tight bandage around her ankle and she waited there while Elijah met with Sophie privately.

She felt his arm slip around her waist and she smiled at that. "I can take care of myself, Elijah."

"I'll be hearing none of that," he told her as they passed a group of vampires who were whistling at her. "As long as you are here with me, you'll be under my protection."

"Thank you," Giuliana had always taken care of herself, so it seemed almost unusual to have someone be so interested in taking care of her for a change. "You spoke with Sophie?"

Elijah nodded, however his jaw clenched tightly. "You will find out what we spoke about very shortly." To Giuliana's dismay, Elijah and Sophie spoke alone because the young witch was hesitant about who to trust.

"Did Cassandra ever meet her?" She asked him.

"I'm not quite sure. Why?"

"Because when we saved her from those two vampires, she called me Cassandra." Giuliana replied and the Original shrugged. "She wouldn't tell me anything."

"Maybe they know each other," he said simply and stopped in front of a building abruptly. Klaus's voice was coming from the rooftop and he peered up to see him talking with another man. The pair on the ground waited in silence until the other man left and Elijah held Giuliana tightly around her hips.

"Oh, not again." She groaned.

"Not afraid of heights, are you?" He quirked a smirk and flashed them up before Giuliana could answer. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder but she was already up on the balcony on the other side of the adjoining room.

"Are you alright?" He asked when she didn't release her tight hold on him.

Giuliana pulled back quickly, not wanting to look weak and tucked a long wave behind her ear. "Yes."

The pair then moved from the balcony and through the room to meet with Klaus. They were standing right behind him the Original hybrid didn't even turn to acknowledge them even though he heard them loud and clear.

"Evening, Elijah." He greeted while keeping his eyes fixated on the streets below him.

Elijah stepped forward to stand near his brother. "Niklaus."

Klaus turned to face him. "What an entirely unwelcome surprise."

"And what an entirely unsurprising welcome." His brother quipped. "Come with me."

"I'm not going anywhere. Not till I find out who's conspiring against me." He growled.

"Then you should come with us." Giuliana said and the hybrid narrowed his blue eyes at her. "We just found that out for you."

"Is that so?" He hissed.

"Yes, Niklaus. So I suggest that you come with us if you want answers."

Giuliana pushed open the tall iron gates to the Lafayette Cemetery and let the two Originals in before closing the gates behind them. The three of them walked along the cobblestone path till they reached a mausoleum and Giuliana shivered. She had been asleep in one for a couple hundred years and she was hoping to never step into one ever again.

"What are we doing here?" Klaus asked impatiently.

Elijah climbed up the steps and pulled the door open. "You wanna know what the witches have in store for you? Follow me." They entered the mausoleum to see Sophie standing inside.

"Sophie Deveraux. What is this?" Klaus asked.

"He's all yours. Proceed." Elijah told the witch.

Sophie looked to Klaus. "You know you're famous in this town? Witches tell bedtime stories about the powerful vampire Klaus. We know Marcel was nothing but an orphan street rat, until you made him what he is. And now he's out of control. He does what he wants, he kills who he wants. I'm gonna stop him, and you're gonna help me."

Klaus smirked to himself, amused that this little witch was thinking that he'd just help her take down Marcel. "This is why you brought me here?"

"Hear her out." Giuliana muttered.

"I don't need to hear her out." He hissed at her. "I assure you, love, there is not a thing on this earth that will matter enough for me to waste even thirty more seconds of my time." The creaking of the mausoleum door opening made Giuliana turn and raise her eyebrows to see Hayley being ushered in with a few more witches. Klaus was clueless as to why she was here too and looked to his brother.

"Elijah, what madness is this?"

Hayley gulped loudly. "Klaus. You need to listen to them."

Klaus's lips quirked into a smirk as he laughed at the three ring circus that he was a witness to. "You're all out of your minds if you think some liquor-fueled, one-night stand, no offense, sweetheart, means a thing to me." He jabbed a finger at Hayley and she recoiled at that and so did Giuliana. This was the first time hearing that Klaus and Hayley slept together.

"Marcel may be able to keep up from practicing real magic in this town, but as keepers of the balance we still know when nature has cooked up something new." Sophie said. "For example, I have a special gift...of sensing when a girl is pregnant."

Any traces of amusement left Klaus's face and even Giuliana cast a glance to Elijah who remained quiet.

"What?" Klaus eyed Hayley.

"I know it's impossible..." The wolf trailed off.

"What are you saying?" He asked them.

"Niklaus," Elijah called. "The girl is carrying your child." Giuliana's stomach dropped and her green eyes went wide with surprise. Klaus's entire demeanor changed as well. His confident posture and smug attitude faltered as he stared at Sophie.

"No. It's impossible. Vampires cannot procreate." He shook his head.

"But werewolves can." The witch said. "Magic made you a vampire, but you were born a werewolf. You're the Original hybrid, the first of your kind, and this pregnancy is one of nature's loopholes." Giuliana was only catching some of Sophie's words; she was too stunned and speechless to even listen. She...she felt something for Klaus and she thought that he felt something too, yet he slept with Hayley. She knew that she shouldn't care, but she did. Hayley was now pregnant with Klaus's child and she didn't even want to look at him.

The Original hybrid scowled before turning on the wolf and shouting at her. "You've been with someone else; admit it!"

"Hey, I've spent days held captive in a freaking alligator bayou because they think that I'm carrying some magical miracle baby. Don't you think I would've fessed up if it wasn't yours?" Hayley snarled back.

"My sister gave her life to perform the spell she needed to confirm this pregnancy. Because of Jane-Anne's sacrifice, the lives of this girl and her baby are now controlled by us." Sophie's explanation made them look between one another. "If you don't help us take down Marcel, so help me, Hayley won't live long enough to see her first maternity dress."

Hayley shifted nervously. "Wait, what?"

Elijah stepped forward now, not wanting this to end in violence. "Enough of this. If you want Marcel dead, he's dead. I'll do it myself."

Sophie shook her head. "No. We can't, not yet. We have a clear plan that we need to follow, and there are rules."

Klaus flashed to stand before the witch. "How dare you command me...threaten me, with what you wrongfully perceive to be my weaknesses. I won't hear any more lies." He shouted and turned to leave but Elijah stopped him.

"Niklaus. Listen." The entire mausoleum went silent and Klaus turned towards Hayley who had placed a hand over her stomach. Giuliana couldn't hear it, but the Original brothers heard a rapidly beating heartbeat coming from the young wolf. Klaus's eye met Hayley's in complete wonderment and he then looked to Giuliana who averted his gaze. Gathering himself, he clenched his fists and turned to Elijah.

"Kill her and the baby. What do I care?" He growled and pushed past the group and rushed out of the mausoleum.

* * *

Giuliana was waiting with Hayley and the witches since Elijah had gone after Klaus. The silence was painful except for some of the witches arguing over what to do with the pregnant werewolf. The witches were fed up with waiting on Klaus's decision to help, so they advised Sophie to just give up, but the younger Deveraux was determined to avenge her sister's death and overthrow Marcel's reign. Hayley was sitting off in the corner, a contemplative look on her face, but she didn't say a word. Her life had been turned completely upside down and it was quickly spiraling out of control. She came to New Orleans with the thought of finding her family, but that was completely derailed once she learned about her own pregnancy. The church bells chimed in the distance, striking midnight and signaling that Elijah had run out of time to convince Klaus.

"His time is up. What're you gonna do now, Sophie?" Agnes, an older witch asked.

"I'm gonna do what I said was gonna do." Sophie replied pensively.

"What, kill the girl? Kill yourself?" Sabine hissed angrily. Before Jane-Anne had died, she bound Hayley's life to Sophie's, so when Elijah was negotiating a deal with the young witch, she showed him the link between her and the expectant mother.

Agnes stepped forward, a glare in her eyes. "Klaus does not care about the child."

"I do." Elijah appeared suddenly in the doorway of the mausoleum, carrying a body wrapped in tarp. They all turned to look at him, Giuliana and Hayley included as he laid the body down on the grown gracefully. "And I bring proof of my intent to help you: the body of your fallen friend, which I procured from Marcel himself."

Sophie immediately fell to her knees and removed the tarp, so she could see her sister's face. "Jane-Anne."

"May she be granted peace. Klaus will agree to your terms; I just need a little more time." Elijah spoke.

"You had your time. It's passed." Agnes hissed angrily at the Original.

"Shut up, Agnes." Sabine commanded and the elder witch went quiet.

"For now, accept the deal. The girl and the child remain unharmed, or Klaus will kill you all." He held out his hand for both girls to get up and join him, which they did and he lead them out of the mausoleum, but he stopped and turned over his shoulder, giving one last remark to the witches. "And I will help him."

* * *

An hour or so later, Giuliana and Hayley were silently stewing in the home Elijah had rented for himself and the ex-hunter to stay in. The two women hadn't said a word to one another after the whole pregnancy bomb exploded. Sick of just sitting around, Giuliana proceeded to unpack her things in an effort to keep her mind off of thinking about Klaus. They hadn't seen one another since the meeting in the mausoleum and she was worried that he just stalked off. She knew that she shouldn't be angry at Klaus for sleeping with Hayley, after all they were not in a relationship by any stretch of the imagination, but it hurt her.

"Remind me why I get dragged into these things again?" Giuliana huffed as she threw her suitcase onto the bed.

"Beats me," Hayley shrugged and picked at her cuticles.

"I figured that I'd be enjoying the sights, not babysitting a werewolf baby mama." She grumbled and sifted through her things, eager to get clothes on hangers and into the closet. Hayley didn't respond to the insult, she was too nervous to fight back. These past few days had been absolute hell for her. She'd gone to New Orleans in the hopes of finding some sort of paper trail that would lead to her parents, but that mission was thwarted by a bunch of witches kidnapping her and holding her up in a bayou. As if that wasn't enough, she was now pregnant with Klaus's freaky werewolf baby. Hayley stood and made her way over to where Giuliana was methodically hanging her clothes.

"Look, I know we have our issues. You don't like me," the werewolf stated.

Giuliana scoffed. "Clearly."

"But we're both stuck in this together and..." Hayley's voice trailed off as she looked down to her stomach. She placed a hand over it and met Giuliana's eyes. "I'm scared."

The ex-hunter's eyes softened a little and she sighed deeply. She stopped her work and faced the wolf, giving her a little smile. "I know that you're scared, but we're all going to protect you and help you through this, okay?" The werewolf nodded, her nerves calming a little.

"Thank you."

"I guess we should stock up on chew toys for when the baby comes..." Hayley scowled and Giuliana held up her hands. "Last dog joke, I swear. Unless you piss me off, then its fair game." She laughed and Hayley did too. Perhaps these two would learn to get along. Hayley stayed a little longer to help her unpack and they just enjoyed having a civil conversation with one another.

"So, you and Klaus?" Hayley questioned with a smirk.

Giuliana shook her head, continuing with her work. "What about it?"

"Well, I know that he likes you and I did catch you two practically having sex in that chair." She wrinkled her nose.

"Thanks for reminding me," the ex-hunter deadpanned.

"That night when he...called me to come over, he was drunk as a skunk and said that you rejected him." She said.

"He killed my brother." The woman frowned. "I had to stop myself from falling for his hollow charm."

"It was pretty pathetic actually," Hayley sighed. "Never seen a man wallow in self pity and I'm sure you're hurt that I'm pregnant with this miracle baby."

"Look, uhm, I'm really tired, so I'm just going to finish this tomorrow." Giuliana jumped on the tail end of Hayley's words. She was quickly becoming overwhelmed and her mind kept going back to Klaus.

Hayley's gaze met the floor and she nodded. "Sure, I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for everything." Giuliana simply nodded as she rushed around her room just to tidy it up a bit before heading to bed. Once the wolf was gone, Giuliana snatched up a mug from the end table and launched it at the wall, but the sound of glass breaking never came to her.

"You never had good aim," Klaus tsked as he gently placed the glass down and

Giuliana shifted her weight on her feet.

"Still want to kill off your own child? Or did Elijah convince you not to?" She asked snidely.

"All of this...it's all a mistake." He said.

"Like the part when you slept with Hayley." The brunette growled and he rushed to tower over her.

"Why should you care?" He asked her and she looked away from him. Klaus took her chin in his hands, directing her gaze to meet his.

"I shouldn't, but I do." She replied quietly as his thumb ran back and forth over her jaw line.

"I know you shouldn't care, but tell me why you do." He wasn't compelling her, but his deep, soothing tone was making her slowly unravel before him. Her lips opened and closed, trying to form some kind of sound, but she was speechless.

Klaus stepped closer, so their bodies were touching and his face moved closer to hers. He stared intimately into her deep green pools before gazing upon her soft lips. He could see them trembling slightly and the hand on her chin moved to cup the back of her neck.

"Klaus," she whimpered.

"Tell me why." His breath was hot against her lips.

"Just please leave." Giuliana tried to move away from him, but he then shoved her against the wall, trapping her. She looked up at him fearfully, if this was any other situation, she would have fought back but Klaus just had this hold over her.

"Niklaus." The woman looked past Klaus's shoulder to see Elijah standing tall in the doorframe. "I believe she asked you to leave." His tone was firm and not negotiable as his oak brown eyes pierced through his brother's back. The hybrid peered down at the woman and slowly loosened his grip on her. He leaned down, his eye were level with hers.

"This isn't over, Giuliana." He promised and turned on his heel, roughly shoving past his brother's shoulder without so much as giving him a second glance. Giuliana let out a shaky breath as Elijah met her with worry written all over his face.

"I'm fine," she held her hand up, stopping his words before he could even form them. Giuliana side stepped him, but Elijah took hold of her hand.

"I apologize for my brother's behavior." He said sincerely. "As you can imagine he is on edge."

"And so am I." Giuliana took her hand back and rushed around her room, grabbing a pair of pajamas.

"What do you mean?" Elijah asked curiously.

"Your brother put his charms on me, but I denied him, so he went to Hayley." She replied hastily. "I shouldn't be mad..."

"Giuliana." He appeared in front of her.

"I just want to be alone, Elijah." She took a few steps back from him. "Please, just let me be." The Original frowned deeply, pocketing his hands. He didn't mean to make her uncomfortable, but clearly his intentions were rubbing her the wrong way. He saw the way that she and Klaus interacted with one another back then and even now. They shared some special connection even though the two of them were too stubborn to admit it. Very slowly, he nodded and let her pass.

"As you wish," he uttered and she darted past him, her green eyes glued to the floor.

* * *

Elijah Mikaelson looked down at the number in his phone for what must have been the millionth time. He had left shortly after Giuliana went to sleep and he rubbed a hand over his face at the ability Klaus had to successfully push people away from him. He knew that she would have to smooth over things with the conflicted ex-hunter, but for now, he had his own problem to deal with. Over and over he replayed he replayed his conversation with Sophie soon after he left the mausoleum. He sent Giuliana and Hayley to the house that he and his siblings called home almost 300 years ago and Sophie had requested to speak with the Original in private.

_"Who is Cassandra Salvatore?" The question made Elijah stop his strides and turn his attention back to the witch, eyebrows furrowed and his nose crinkled._

_"Cassandra Salvatore, maiden name Emerson, was a vampire that I turned in 1864. She is now living in Mystic Falls with her husband Damon Salvatore." He replied. "What does she have to do with what is happening here?"_

_"When Jane-Anne performed the spell to confirm Hayley's pregnancy, she saw another pregnancy. Hers." Sophie stated and Elijah shook his head._

_"Impossible. Her husband Damon is a vampire. She can procreate, but he cannot." The Original said._

_"Another one of nature's loopholes." Her arms crossed over her chest._

_"I don't understand..." He was completely shocked that Cassandra was also pregnant, although, he wouldn't believe it until he saw it for himself._

_"Her pregnancy is harder to understand, but it is still true."_

Once again his oak brown eyes met his childe's name in the contacts of his phone. Should he call her? What could he say to her? So many unanswered questions surged through his mind that they were quickly becoming overwhelming. He was sure that Cassandra was scared and quite frankly, he wasn't sure if Damon was qualified for fatherhood. Sighing heavily, he ordered an extra dry martini and clicked 'call.'

* * *

Cassandra groaned quietly as another wave of nausea wracked her. Sick to her stomach, she curled even closer to Damon's body and she could feel his fingers gently stroking her hair. Flashing images on the television screen were doing nothing to help her churning stomach, so she closed her eyes and hid her face in the blankets that were wrapped around them. Her fists clenched the sheets as she waited for her head to stop spinning and she shifted uncomfortably. Damon then leaned down, kissing her hair and massaging her scalp to try and make her feel better. They had skipped town shortly after they both learned about Cassandra's surprise pregnancy. They were enjoying themselves immensely when Cassandra had developed the tell tale symptoms of an expectant mother. Being supernatural, Cassandra had never gotten sick before, except for the few times that she was sick as a human, but this was something else entirely.

Her thoughts were jarred when her phone rang by her side and she unburied her face from the bed sheets. She gripped her phone and immediately answered it in hopes of shutting off the annoying ringing noise. Holding the phone up to her ear, she gave a pained greeting.

"Hello?"

_"Is it true?"_

Cassandra squinted her eyes at the caller ID and sat up slowly, Damon's hands guided her up against the headboard and looked questioningly at her. "'Lijah?"

_"Is it true that you are also pregnant?"_ He asked again and Damon's ears perked up, listening in on their conversation.

"As unbelievable as it sounds, yes." She rubbed her temple. "Don't ask me to explain it because I'm just as clueless as anyone."

Elijah straightened his napkin that his extra dry martini sat on top of and drummed his fingers against the surface of the bar. _"How long?"_

"Well, considering I'm half dead, my menstrual cycle is nonexistent which is something that I don't really want to discuss with you." Cassandra sighed heavily.

_"Are you and Damon in any danger?"_ He then took a sip from his drink.

"Besides me throwing up everywhere, then no. Damon and I are fine." She answered and patted his thigh. Damon took her hand and kissed the back of it lovingly, lacing their fingers together.

_"Where are you?"_ Elijah asked and when he didn't hear a direct reply, he thought that the call was lost by a bad signal. He then heard shuffling in the background and Cassandra heaving vigorously.

"Sorry Elijah." Damon was speaking now and Elijah shifted on his barstool at the sound of the hybrid vomiting. "Cassandra's taking a bit of a...woah, that was a good one. Okay, okay. You're alright, Cass."

_"Damon?"_ Elijah questioned.

"She's okay." The vampire rubbed comforting circles over her back as she had her head over a pail. They had kept a bucket next to the bed for her to throw up into because on more than one occasion, she never even made it out of the bedroom.

_"Where are the both of you now?"_ The Original asked again.

"No, no, no, no." Damon tutted. "See we didn't tell anyone where we went. It's too much of a risk."

_"Damon, I have witches here in New Orleans that will take care of the both of you."_ He implored, sincerely hoping that the male vampire would take the initiative.

"I'm not moving her anywhere, Elijah. No one knows about her being pregnant and I'd like to keep it that way." He spoke firmly.

_"So, what will you do when the summer is over? Take her back to Mystic Falls where evil practically crawls from the depths of the darkest shadows?"_ He glowered.

"We are taking things day by day. She's my wife and I will do whatever I can to protect her." Damon growled.

_"You are putting her life in danger if you bring her back home."_

"And from what I hear, New Orleans isn't a cake walk either." Elijah was silent on the other end of the phone, allowing Damon to speak his peace. "I will take care of her Elijah. I would risk my life to keep her safe and you know that. I know what is good for my wife."

The Original seemed to be moved, so much so that he let Damon's promise circle around in his head, mulling over every word. Clearing his throat, Elijah spoke up again. _"I know that you'd risk your life for her, Damon. There is no question of that, but I am just trying to look out for the best interests of the both of you. I'm sure that you are both scared and you don't understand why it is happening, but there is one thing that is certain."_ It was Damon's turn to listen to Elijah and Cassandra was now listening intently as well. _"You both have been given a gift that is to be cherished and I know that you will both love your child unconditionally."_ The vampire looked to his wife who was nodding her head and patting her stomach comfortingly. _"Just please be careful and there is always a place for you both in New Orleans should you need it."_ The couple smiled warmly and thanked Elijah immensely for his blessing to them. They bid one another goodnight and the Original just stared into his drink for a few moments, trying to wrap his head around the fact that Damon and Cassandra were expecting a bundle of joy of their own. Tonight had been filled with surprises and this one just added to the long list. He knew that they would be terrific parents, he just worried about the kind of stress it would place on them to raise their baby in Mystic Falls. All he could do was offer them to come to New Orleans if they so desired and the ball was in their court now.

"So much for dessert," Elijah heard Marcel grunt and he discreetly looked over his shoulder. Marcel was stalking away from none other than Giuliana who gave a sigh of relief that he had left. The Original had warned her to stay at home with Hayley, but he just couldn't tame that stubborn girl.

"C'mon, her? You managed to let a morsel like her get away?" Marcel's friend quipped.

"She's a firecracker that one, but don't worry, my friend, no one ever said that it was over." Marcel grinned and left the bar. Elijah watched as Giuliana gathered her things and exchanged some friendly words with the blonde bartender, Cami, that he'd met just the other day. He waited, biding his time until she rushed out of the bar and then followed her at a close distance home.

* * *

"Wow, these Originals sure are hoarders." The green eyed girl huffed as she helped Hayley to pull back a large sheet that was draped over an old cabinet set. After a rough night had by all, Giuliana had volunteered to help set the house up that would be their home for however long they were to stay there. Dust particles flew through the air, making the girls wave their hands through it to shush it away. Elijah had joined them as well, taking a sheet off an old fashioned crib, making more dust fly around the room. Hayley coughed sickly and took a step back from uncovering the next piece of furniture.

"Are you alright?" Elijah asked worriedly.

Hayley nodded, swatting her hands through the mess of dust. "Just dust. This place is ancient."

"Yes, it should serve our purposes. It's a sanctuary from our business in the Quarter. Right now, you are the most important person in this family. You need a good home." He explained and rested his hands on the edge of the wooden frames on the crib.

"And what am I? The cat's mother? I'm helping take care of this baby too." Giuliana joked and Hayley gave a short snort. "Or do you just plan to leave me with Marcel?"

"If you had followed my orders last night, then I wouldn't have had to pry you away from Marcel." Elijah countered skillfully.

"Please, I would have staked him before he would have even laid a finger on me." She grinned.

"And so would have I." The Original agreed. "However, the witches have requested that we should appease the so called King."

Giuliana's eyebrows creased, framing her bewildered green eyes. "Appease, meaning?" She trailed off and Elijah nodded. "You...you're not seriously suggesting that I be nice to him?!"

"If it can keep Hayley and the baby as incognito as long as possible, then it must be done." He said simply and Giuliana scowled.

"Gah, fine! I'm only doing this for Hayley and the baby." She looked to the mother who had remained strangely quiet during her and Elijah's exchange. Elijah's eyes followed the ex-hunter's and he cleared his throat.

"So, I'm curious in all this time, has anyone asked you how you feel?" Elijah asked her.

"About having a miracle baby with a psychotic one-night-stand?" Hayley questioned with a grin, but Elijah shook his head.

"About being a mother."

Hayley's stomach dropped at the term and she leaned against the crib, staring down inside it. It was empty now, but in nine months, it would hold a crying, screaming baby. "I was abandoned when I was born and my adoptive parents kicked me out the second that I turned into a wolf." She confessed sadly. "So, I don't really know how I feel about being a mother because I never really had a good one." Giuliana frowned, she remembered her own mother and it made her upset that Hayley didn't have one of her own. She missed her mother very much and she hoped that Hayley would break the pattern and be an amazing mother to her child.

"Well, we're here for you, Hayley." She smiled softly. "We're not going to let anything to you or your baby."

"I will always protect you. You have my word on that." Elijah added.

"And noble Elijah always keeps his word." Klaus snickered from the doorway and Hayley's eyes found the floor, unable to even gaze upon the form of the father of her child.

"Well, at least Elijah is noble. You're...you're..." Giuliana trailed off, a thoughtful look on her face. "Come to think of it, do you have any redeeming qualities?" She finished with a smirk.

"I have the quality to make people quake in fear at the sound of my name." Klaus replied with a wry grin.

Giuliana broke out into a fit of giggles and crossed her arms over her chest. "Will that be before or after they find out you'll be changing baby diapers." Klaus's smirk immediately fell and Hayley bit her bottom lip to keep herself from losing it.

Elijah just rolled his eyes at the two bickering before turning to his brother. "Is it done?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Your underhanded deal worked quite well. Marcel was only too happy to accept my blood even as he accepted my heartfelt apologies. His man, Thierry, yet lives and I remain a welcome guest in the French Quarter. My only concern now is this coven of impudent witches." Klaus sauntered further into the room, surveying the covered furniture.

"I believe them to be honorable; they did release Hayley to me. Although, they haven't been entirely forthcoming. Marcel obviously has something that they need. They don't want him dead. There must be a reason why." Elijah speculated aloud.

"Well, what do you think it could be?" Giuliana asked.

* * *

On the other side of town, a young girl sat by the windowsill. The dark and dusty attic of her home had been her haven for as long as she could remember. A bed and some canvases up on the wall made her room much more homely. Dark, almost black, hair framed her face and the flames of a burning candle shown in her dark eyes. The girl closed her hand slowly and with each passing second, the flame diminished until snuffing out completely. She then opened her hand at the same speed and the candle relit itself. Again and again she repeated the process until she felt him enter the room.

"I assume it's all quiet out there?" He asked her and she turned to face him.

"Only one." She replied. "It started for a second, but then flaked out."

Marcel's eyebrows rose curiously. "When and who?"

"Last night and it was too quick of a jolt for me to catch who." The girl answered. "But I could see who the spell was meant for." She held out her hands in front of him.

"Let's have a look see then." He said and the witch stood. She placed her hands on either side of Marcel's head and his eyes fell closed, allowing himself to welcome the gift of sight that the witch would bestow on him. He saw a set of hypnotizing green eyes, the ones that have haunted him ever since last night. He immediately knew who it was, but he still never managed to get her name.

Marcel stepped back once the vision went dark and he peered down at Davina. "Got a name?"

"Giuliana." The witch spoke and Marcel unintentionally licked his lips.

"She sounds good enough to eat, but she's a little feisty one." He stuffed his hands into his pockets.

The witch's face fell, a frown creasing her features. "They're dangerous, the old ones." She said worriedly. "I don't want them to hurt you."

"The Originals? Davina, as powerful as you are, they don't stand a chance." Marcel grinned at the witch who smiled sweetly.

* * *

"I really wish you'd take some of my blood to heal your ankle" Elijah's calm voice made Giuliana look up from her book that she had gotten lost in. Hayley was asleep and Klaus was God knows where, so it was nice for the ex-hunter to enjoy some quiet time.

"I'm fine." She told him, closing the book and giving him her complete attention. "I blame my ability to get into trouble, I suppose." A little bit of humor touched her words.

"After last night, I can agree with that." He said and she tilted her head to the side, asking him to continue. "I saw you last night with Marcel."

Giuliana rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "That brute should learn how to take 'no' for an answer. I know you said to _appease_ him, but he just makes my skin crawl."

"You will be the death of me," the Original sighed deeply.

"What? I was...nice."

"I'm not talking about that." He said. "I'm talking about that you left the house without my protection."

"Elijah, I can take care of myself." She told him. "I've dealt with your brother, so I think I can handle some little punk of a vampire."

"I vowed to Hayley that I would protect her and I hope you understand that I will make it my business to protect you as well."

Her green eyes examined him before they looked to her hands which were neatly folded in her lap. "Don't make promises that you can't keep, Elijah."

The Original frowned and took her hands in his, squeezing them gently. "I do not break my promises, Giuliana. I _will_ protect you by any means necessary."

She smiled warmly and squeezed his hands back. "At least I can count on you. I'm happy I came here."

"I am too." He lifted her hand up to his lips and brushed her skin against them before letting go. "Although taking my blood might not make me as angry that you left."

Scowling amusedly, she giggled at him. "I'd rather have you and Klaus as my personal slaves to get me anything that I want."

Elijah's lips quirked up into a smile. "Is there anything you need now?"

Giuliana shook her head, but then squinted her eyes, as if to think of something. "Well, maybe...hmm, never mind." She pushed herself up off and couch and hopped around a bit, balancing herself on her feet. "I'll get it."

"But I insist." Elijah said and tried to ease her back down to the couch, but she hobbled around him.

"You're very sweet, Elijah, but I am perfectly capable of-" her ankle rolled underneath her and she gave a cry of pain as she fell to the floor, but Elijah was quicker. He scooped her up in his arms and held her against him so she wouldn't have to put pressure on her bruised ankle.

"Capable of falling down? Yes." The Original chided lightly and he had realized that Giuliana's hands were clutching his shoulders tightly.

"Making fun of a woman in pain? That's not very nice of you." She hissed, her ankle throbbed angrily and she cursed herself for being so stubborn. Elijah's arms around her waist pressed their bodies together much like how they were in the alley just a night ago and a rush of heat touched her skin. Her fingers that held his shoulders relaxed and her hands were now resting comfortably against his chest. She tested her ankle, touching it to the ground lightly before applying a little more pressure. She stood fully on her two feet without any pain, only a dull surge coming from her ankle, but Elijah's hands hadn't moved from holding her. Green eyes trailed over the masculine features of his face before finally settling on his lips which were making her own tremble. Throughout this entire journey to New Orleans, he had been there for her every step of the way and she never felt safer than with Elijah by her side. The Original brought a hand up to gently brush away a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes and tucked it back so he could stare longingly into the green pools that captivated him. That hand then cupped her cheek, his fingers splaying along the back of her neck except his thumb which found her jaw line. When he was with Giuliana, Elijah completely forgot about Katherine and all of the pain she had caused him. Katerina, _his_ Katerina, was only using him as a gambling piece, a knight to stand behind to save her from Klaus's wrath. Elijah swore the moment Katherine walked out of his life that he'd never let his heart do something so stupid in the first place.

"Giuliana," his voice was endearing and he pulled her face closer to his.

"Brother." The two broke apart and Giuliana hopped away from the Original at the sound of Klaus' voice. He stood in the doorway, a hard look on his face that his brother was so close to Giuliana.

The girl cleared her throat. "I'll leave you two to your business. Goodnight Elijah." She side stepped both Originals and walked out but not without give Klaus a hateful glare. Once she was out of the room, she heard bits and pieces of their conversation, but she mainly ignored it. The bigger problem at hand was getting up the winding staircase to get to her room. Gripping the handrail, she hoisted herself up and very slowly started her trek up the stairs. After ten minutes she finally reached the top and practically jogged to her room. Once she reached her bed, she fell on top of the plush, cushiony mattress and her eyes had begun to drift close. Sleep had quickly overtaken her, unbeknownst to the chaos that erupted downstairs.

* * *

**So, I was a little disappointed that this episode was really similar to the pilot, but I hope that all of you enjoy my own little twist I put on this chapter. Who are you rooting for? Klaus/Giuliana? Elijah/Giuliana? Marcel/Giuliana? Let me know what you'd all like to see in the upcoming chapters and please review :)**

* * *

**Silently Tearful: **Thanks girl for the review! Glad you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope that you liked this chapter :)

**xoxobianca13: **Thank you so much for reviewing! I love Cassandra/Damon relationship and she also does have a lot of great relationships with the Mystic Falls gang. I always felt like Cassandra was a very maternal woman and she cares for those kids like they are her own. Well, now she'll have a little baby of her own :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**VampirePrincess11: **Glad you loved it! Thanks for reviewing! I can't wait to see it tomorrow night!

**shippolove844: **Thank you for reviewing! We will see more of Cassandra's pregnancy and she will continue to have symptoms. Katherine and Silas certainly are pests, and they are not making things any easier for anyone in town. Hope you enjoyed the Originals chapter :)

**SomebodyWhoCares: **Oh, yes indeed it is ;) Things will get very crazy!

**Seira asami: **Thank you for reviewing! Cassandra does bring the best out in Damon, but he also makes her better too! The pregnancy will test their relationship and bring them to their limits, but love will always prevail. I do love Katherine's character, but she always manages to be the cause of trouble. I wonder why Silas wants her so badly!

**sexytime321: **Thanks for reviewing, girl! Hope you enjoyed this one :)

**sarahmichellegellarfan1: **Thank you for reviewing! Well, the pregnancy will be difficult and it will test them, but Damon and Cassandra will really work to keep their love afloat :)

**Guest: **Thank you!

**Whitttyyy76: **Thanks so much girl! So glad that you're enjoying the story so far! I missed writing Damon/Cassandra a lot and it is so refreshing to watch the show again after it has been on break. I agree, this season will be really crazy and I love it already! Hope you enjoyed the Originals chapter :)

**grapejuice101: **Thank you for reviewing! I'm so glad that season 5 is here too!

**Guest: **Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm very happy that you enjoyed the first chapter! PS: I laughed so hard when I read that you read the title as "Blurred Lines." Now every time I read it, I'll call it that HAHA!


	5. True Lies (TVD)

**Bloodlines**

**Chapter 3: True Lies (TVD)**

**Beta: PrincessOfSilence**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.**

* * *

"I can try to swim down there." Cassandra offered, her eyes never leaving the rushing water. "It doesn't look too deep."

"You're not going anywhere," Damon said from beside her.

Normally, she would have fought him on the issue, but for a moment, she didn't say anything. They both stared down at the water in the quarry in absolute silence. This could have been the last place Stefan was standing before Silas decided to do away with him. It was a haunting fact that they were uneasy about. How could it be that Stefan's suffering had gone unnoticed for the entire summer? Had they both that selfish to not check in or even wonder about his whereabouts? "He could be down there. He could be down there screaming for help and we can't even hear him."

"Now you sense my urgency to find him." Her husband said tensely as Liz Forbes walked up to the two of them.

"I know I said I'd help you both find Stefan, but I can't dredge this entire quarry. It's enormous." She informed them.

"I'm aware of that. I mean, clearly that's why we wanted to dump Silas' body, here because it's big and deep and no one would find him. Now, say I'm Silas, and I wanna take over my doppelganger's life. Why wouldn't I dump him in a place that's big and deep, where no one would find him?" Damon posed.

"Damon, I already agreed to hold off on telling anyone about the Mayor's death until you figured this all out, but I can't devote those kinds of resources to finding one person who may or may not be down there." The Sheriff countered.

"Where else would Stefan be?" Cassandra chimed in. "The quarry would be the only place where he would be so that no one would find him."

"We can't make any promises." Liz looked between the two of them.

"But it's a place to start. And if Stefan's down there, that means he's been drowning over and over again all summer while Cassandra and I have been away." The vampire explained guiltily. Ever since Silas told Damon that his baby brother was suffering, guilt hardened his heart.

"Please, Liz," Cassandra implored the sheriff on her husband's behalf. "This is Stefan we're talking about."

After a minute or so of thinking it over, Sheriff Forbes looked down at the water before answering. "I'll get some deputies on it."

"Thank you, Liz." Damon smiled genuinely at her and she returned it. Walking off, she made a call back to the station just as the vampire's phone rang in his pocket.

"Please tell me you found her." He asked the party on the other end.

_"I didn't, but Matt did."_ Jeremy replied.

"Huh. How shockingly...useful." Damon deadpanned.

"Give the kid some more credit, will you?" Cassandra chided, smacking her husband's shoulder.

_"She was mid-cat-fight with some lady who maced her. We think Silas might have mind-controlled himself some new friends."_ The teen explained as Matt tied Katherine's hands together with rope and ushered her into the back of his pickup truck.

"How exactly did the Gilbert-Donovan brain trust put all that together?" Damon asked and Cassandra glared at him. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. Just hide her. If Silas wants her bad enough to sic the whole town on her, that means we want her more. Stay out of sight—you were the last person who Silas saw her with."

"Well, that's one of our problems solved." Cassandra sighed and sat on a large rock that overlooked the quarry. "What the hell would Silas want Katherine for? I mean, she's human so she's pretty much useless except for her annoying ability to get herself into trouble." When Damon didn't answer her, she looked up at him and sighed heavily at the sight. His blue eyes were fixated on the water below them as if trying to peer into the dark depths for the answers he needed. Cassandra hesitantly stood and put her hand on his shoulder which was tense, wound up so tight that he might just snap.

"Damon," she called, but he still wouldn't look at her. She turned him to face her and cupped his cheeks, tilting his hurt blue hues to meet her own. "Damon, I am so sorry that this happened, but we will find Stefan." She caught his eyes watering or perhaps it was the sharp reflection of light bouncing off the water, but she knew that he was in pain. "I promise." The vampire turned his head away from her and walked back to the edge of the quarry. One step and he would plummet into the cold water. His wife frowned as her phone rang and she was going to ignore the call, but it was Elena.

"It's Elena. Let me just take this." She muttered and walked past some of Liz's men whom she had called to help look for Stefan.

* * *

_"It was mortifying. We just sat there in silence."_ Elena blabbed embarrassedly as she finished telling Cassandra the story about how she and Caroline got kicked out of class on their first day.

"College professors are douches. They don't care about the individual students." Cassandra consoled. "Whatever, I'm sure that the guy is a real dick bag. And this is the professor that might have some answers for you?"

_"Yeah, that's him."_ The vampire sighed as she weaved through the smiling faces on campus.

"Did you try compelling him?" Cassandra asked.

_"No, because chances are, if he knows about vampires, then he also knows about vervain."_ She said quietly into her phone so the other students wouldn't hear.

"You could always beat it out of him. It's a very popular method and one of my personal favorites." She smirked. The Sheriff's men were surveying the area around the quarry, calculating and speculating how to get into the ravine.

_"I'll get answers out of him. Right now I'm just trying to blend in."_ Elena said.

"Good. And how is that going for you?" The hybrid questioned.

_"It's going okay. I'm actually kind of worried."_ She frowned.

"Why? What's wrong?"

_"I keep...god this sounds so weird, but I keep having dreams about Stefan."_ Cassandra let that swirl around in her head for a few moments before replying.

"What kind of dreams?" She asked carefully.

_"It's not really a dream. It's kind of like a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach."_ Elena clarified. _"I'm just worried about him."_

"Of course you are. He's your boyfriend." She agreed.

_"But doesn't it seem weird to you that he hasn't called all summer?"_ Elena worried her cuticles.

"Elena, have you met Stefan? He cares more about hair products than he does checking in with us." Cassandra rolled her eyes.

_"I don't know. I kind of just...Stefan?"_

The hybrid wrinkled her nose. "What?"

_"Stefan, he's here."_ Elena said happily and Cassandra's stomach dropped.

"Listen to me, Elena. Turn around and run. Run for your life. Whatever you do, don't-" Her warning had gone ignored as Elena hung up the phone.

* * *

The pair barged into the girl's dorm room, practically knocking the door off its hinges and inside was a very indecent Caroline. She was fresh out of the shower and wrapped in a towel.

"Damon! Towel, knock!" She hissed, her hands clutching the fabric.

"Caroline. No one cares, no." Damon countered.

"Where's Elena?" Cassandra asked.

"I don't know. She probably went to the bonfire to get more intel on our weirdo professor." Caroline replied.

"Well get dressed. Silas is here," she said and passed her some clothes that were lying on her bed. "He's pretending to be Stefan."

The blonde's bottom lip quivered. "I thought that Stefan dropped his body in the quarry."

"Join the club. Get dressed." Damon ordered and threw more clothes at her which she barely managed to catch since she was trying to keep the towel around her body.

A look of shocking realization found its way onto Caroline's face. "Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Elena was right. All summer, she's had this pit in her stomach about Stefan."

"I know. Elena told me before she hung up with me to talk to Silas." The hybrid shooed the blonde vampire into the bathroom. "Hurry up, put some clothes on, and meet us downstairs."

Caroline had gotten dressed surprisingly quick and the trio was searching the grounds of the main campus. The bonfire was underway and students were ready to unwind and have some fun after their classes. Damon held Cassandra's hand tightly, sensing her uneasiness that they hadn't seen Elena, but he did see Silas. He had threatened both husband and wife, warning them to not get in his way.

"Hey, relax." His voice was soothing, calming her nerves.

"I can't help it. We can't find Elena and Silas ran into you." She squeezed his hand.

"Why would Silas want to mess with Elena?" Caroline asked.

"He wants to get to us." Cassandra replied. "And he's doing one hell of a job." A hard shoulder smashed into the hybrid's body and she looked up to see a tall, stocky student.

"Hey, watch where you're going." He hissed.

Damon was quick to defend his wife, standing in between her and the jock. "Woah, let's take it easy, buddy."

Cassandra's eyes shifted, little flicks of amber separating the normally dark hues. "How about _you_ watch where you're going." Damon cast a sideways glance at Caroline; Cassandra was never the kind of person to cause confrontation, so it was very odd to see her picking a fight with a guy who was almost three times her size.

The boy scoffed. "Are you kidding? You walked into me."

"Tough shit, punk," she growled and she could vaguely feel Damon tugging on her upper arm.

"Come on, Cass. Let's go." He cooed softly and her hard stare broke, turning on her heel and walking away.

"Yeah, that's right. Put a leash on her the next time you take her out in public." The boy shouted after them. In seconds, Cassandra broke from Damon's grip and sped over to the kid, her hand curling tightly around his throat.

"You wanna say that to my face this time?" Cassandra's eyes were glowing now with a mix of blood red and bright amber.

"Cass!" Damon hushed. "Put him down." Her nails were sharpening, tearing into the boy's throat as he struggled to breathe. Strangled gasps left his lips and he was desperately trying to pull Cassandra off him.

"What was that? I didn't hear you." She taunted him, a menacing grin painting her features. Her grip tightened and his eyes were beginning to fall closed, but Caroline whisked him away and compelled him to forget what had happened and leave.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Caroline screeched. "You could have killed him!"

Cassandra felt a cold chill run up the length of her spine and her body shivered. She blinked a couple of times and looked around oddly, as if unaware of where she was. Her eyes had slowly reverted to normal and all she could do was tilt her head at Caroline.

"I don't..." She put a hand to her forehead, trying to understand what Caroline was yelling at her for. "What...what happened?"

"What happened?! Are you seriously asking that right now?" The blonde clenched her fists.

"Easy, blondie." Damon huffed and put his hands on Cassandra's shoulders. "Do you remember what happened, Cass?"

Cassandra shook her head slowly. "I...no, I don't."

"Damon..." Caroline trailed off and they turned to see Silas standing off in the distance. "Is that?"

"Silas." The vampire finished. "Get out of here, Caroline. Go look for Elena." The blonde was ready to argue, but she flashed away and didn't look back.

"Cassandra!" Elena's panicked voice reached their ears and she ran up to them. "You have to come quick. Something's happened and I need help."

"It's okay, Elena. Just calm down." Cassandra hushed.

"Well, I don't know if I'd say that." Silas was standing with them now and Damon glared at him.

"What do you want Silas?" He growled.

"Can't a guy enjoy a drink and a bonfire?" He smirked.

Damon looked over his shoulder at the two girls. "Run. The both of you."

"No," Cassandra fought. "I'm not leaving you here with him."

"Cassandra, take Elena and go." He repeated.

"I would listen to him if I were you, Cassandra." Silas snickered evilly and the hybrid could feel Elena tugging at her arm.

"Please, Cassandra. I need you to help me." Elena begged. "I made a big mistake."

Cassandra's glance shifted between her husband, her enemy, and one of her best friends, conflicted on which path to take. The look in Damon's eyes pleaded with her to leave and so did Elena's. Silas' however were hiding some kind of malicious intent that was masked with a dark glee that was haunting.

"Damon..." She trailed off.

"I'll be fine." He promised, not wanting her anywhere near Silas especially with their unborn child. Silas said that he didn't want their child, but it didn't mean that he'd try to kill it. "Just go."

It was the final tug from Elena that made Cassandra walk away from her husband. Her fearful brown eyes were locked on Silas' form as they both disappeared from the bonfire.

* * *

Elena unlocked her dorm room door and locked it behind the both of them. Cassandra walked further into the room, looking for the 'mistake' that Elena was so upset about. She figured that she'd see a body or two that she had accidentally drained but the room was completely clean.

"What-" Before Cassandra could ask what the problem was, Elena smashed her in the back of the skull with a lamp from the bedside table. She crumpled to her knees and while she was down, Elena dragged her to a chair. The vampire then took one of Megan's vervain water bottles and doused the hybrid with it. Cassandra screamed and writhed at her skin burned and Elena took the chance to start tying her to the chair with extra clothes and appliance cords that she found in the room.

"Comfy?" Elena asked and she threw more of the poisonous liquid on Cassandra's skin.

"Silas got in your head." She gritted, feeling her skin heal over. "What did he tell you to do?" Cassandra asked as she watched her move about the room, clearly looking for something to match her evil intentions.

"He told me to get you alone." She took up her weapon of choice, a field hockey stick and wielded it in her hands. "To weaken you." The stick smacked the hybrid across the cheek, a slash breaking the skin. The hybrid growled low in her throat, glaring at Elena while her face healed.

"Did Silas have anything else on his diabolical agenda?" She hissed.

Elena smirked evilly and broke the stick over her knee, making it into a sharp point and she discarded the other side. "And then he wanted me to kill that thing that's growing inside you."

The vampire roughly took Cassandra's chin in her hand and forced her mouth open with a crushing grip. Her lips parted the slightest distance and Elena shoved the opening of the vervain water bottle in the space. The burning sensation was horrid, the insides of her mouth sizzled and rotted away, but she refused to swallow. She had stopped ingesting vervain ever since she found out that she was pregnant because she was scared of the harmful effects that it could have on the baby. Damon had bought her a vervain necklace to compensate for her inability to drink the toxic fluid and replaced all liquids in the house that had any traces of vervain in them.

"Swallow!" Elena hissed and squeezed Cassandra's jaw so hard that it snapped loudly, adding more pain to her already crumbling tolerance level. "Swallow it!"

With her arms and legs limited from stopping Elena, Cassandra improvised and spat the water onto the vampire. She jumped back and screamed, swatting off her face. The vampire looked back at Cassandra, clearly bewildered and confused as to why she was tied to a chair.

"Cassandra, I'm so sorry, I— What the hell is happening?" She asked.

"Silas put you in some kind of trance, but I guess you snapped out of it." The hybrid said.

"Silas? But I—"

"Yes, the guy you talked to today is Silas. It's not Stefan." Cassandra explained.

Elena was shaking her head, unable to understand that the man she was talking to earlier was not her boyfriend, but it was the person who had been the cause of all of their problems last year. "How is that possible? I was in a crowd full of people. I hugged him; I was talking to him about my life, and about—"

"Damon and I?" She finished. "Yeah, I bet he had some choice things to say.

"Wait, if that was Silas...where's Stefan? What happened to Stefan? Where is he?" Elena's rage was quickly rising once again.

"Woah, woah! Okay! Can we talk about this when you don't look like you're going to kill me?" Cassandra backed up against the chair, seeing that her friend was losing control again.

"You're right. Every time I look at you, all I wanna do is kill you." Elena hissed and picked up the sharpened end of the hockey stick.

"Elena, put the stick down. You don't want to do this." She told her.

"No, I do. Because Silas told me that I have to do it." The vampire took the bottle of vervain and splashed some on her body, making Cassandra wriggle around her chair and cry out. "And that abomination inside you has to die."

Cassandra's teeth clenched in her mouth and her hands balled into tight fists, her sharp nails splintering the wood. "Shut up."

"In fact, maybe I could rip that thing out of you." Elena added. "And you can watch it squirm around and die."

"I said, shut up." She repeated, her anger growing with each passing second. Something inside her was stirring, a rage that was quickly spreading through her veins like wildfire. It was much like what happened at the bonfire with that boy and Cassandra couldn't control it.

"Better yet, I'll have Damon watch." Elena snickered and rose up the stick to stab Cassandra in the stomach. In an instant, Cassandra's eyes flashed amber and her rage exploded. The shift inside her body could simply be explained like a switch that had been flicked on. Her legs thrust forward, breaking the ties that bound her and it sent the vampire back a few feet. Cassandra's double fangs were just itching to rip into Elena' throat. With a rough yank of each arm, she was freed from their chair and she tackled the young vampire. The two struggled, beating, kicking, and punching one another without holding back. Cassandra finally got Elena on her back and she wailed on her. Her fists pummeled her face in, recreating new cuts and bruises where the old ones healed. The hybrid wasn't stopping for anyone, her eyes were gleaming amber and her fists beat Elena to a pulp. The baby vampire seemed to cower now, trying to shield herself from the harmful blows, she even called to Cassandra, asking her to stop, but she didn't. Instead, she only hit Elena harder in her black rage.

"Cassandra! No! Stop it!" Elena begged desperately and when Cassandra didn't listen, the vampire reached for an extra vervain bottle that had rolled near them and splashed her face with it. The hybrid immediately backed off, wiping her face down and groaning in pain.

The dark haze in Elena's eyes seemed to vanish and she was looking around the room curiously. What was she doing here? She couldn't remember how she got here or why there were puddles of vervain water on the floor. Cassandra hissed, staring back at the vampire as her face healed over. Her eyes were still deadly and Elena scooted away from her. She'd never seen her this crazy, it was like she was a rabid animal that couldn't be controlled.

Before Cassandra could think about going after Elena again, the door burst wide open and Damon vamp sped inside. He looped his arms around his wife's and he yanked her back to him. She fought his hold, eager to get to Elena and tear her head off of her shoulders, but Damon wouldn't let go.

"Let me go, Damon!" She yelled.

"You need to _calm_ down." He demanded and looked to Elena. "What happened here?" The baby vampire couldn't answer; her gaze was stuck on Cassandra's thrashing form in Damon's arms. Becoming fed up with her fighting, Damon tossed Cassandra back into the chair and cupped her face in his hands. For the first time, he was actually afraid of her. She looked so different, a distorted and bent image of her normal self. He peered into her eyes, seeing something dark burrowing there and he gently stroked her cheeks.

"Just take it easy, Cass. Calm down." Like at the bonfire, she heard his voice and she immediately fell slack against the back of the chair. She blinked away the rage and hate, her demonic soul disappearing within the depths of her body. She panted wildly, coming back to herself and she looked at Damon who was at a loss for words.

Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the vervain and pieces of a hockey stick littering floor. Elena was huddled in the corner, holding her healing face.

"Did someone break in here?" Cassandra asked Damon who shook his head.

"Cassandra, you and Elena did this. You two got into a fight and that's why the room is like this." He explained to her very slowly, drawing out every detail for her in hopes of having her memory come back.

"But why did we fight?" She wondered.

Damon peered over at Elena who was making her way towards Cassandra. "Wanna take this one?"

Elena nodded and swallowed thickly. "I...uhm, Silas put some kind of trance on me and he told me to focus all of my anger on you. I was upset that you both lied to me about Jeremy getting expelled. We fought and you beat me to a pulp. That's when the trance ended."

"Ringing any bells?" Damon questioned.

"I remember..." Her wandering gaze landed on the broken hockey stick and it all came rushing back to her. "You...you wanted to kill me and my baby." Damon placed his hand on the back of the chair, gripping tightly so it wouldn't be Elena's head that he wanted to squeeze.

"Baby? What baby?" Elena asked incredulously and she saw Damon and Cassandra's eyes meet for just a second. "Silas said to kill what was inside of you and then he-" Elena suddenly stopped, her train of thought coming to an abrupt halt. Her mouth opened and closed countless times and she ran a hand through her hair. Cassandra could see the gears in the young vampire's head turning and whirling rapidly, as if trying to fit together the pieces of the puzzle. "You...you're pregnant?"

Cassandra nodded and passed a hand over her stomach. Inside her womb, her child's heartbeat drummed against her fingers. "I'm sorry that we didn't tell you, Elena."

The baby vampire rubbed her eyes and grabbed an extra chair that was tucked neatly under Caroline's desk. She sat in it and hunched over, astonishment washing over her. She gave herself a moment to compose her thoughts and she met the nervous gazes of the married couple.

"Tell me everything."

* * *

"So, Jeremy got expelled, Katherine is living at the boarding house, Silas is here and Stefan is..." Elena's voice trembled; her entire body shook just thinking about her boyfriend who had been suffering all summer.

"And Cassandra's pregnant." Damon added. "Can't forget that one."

"I can't believe that none of you told me. Especially you, Cassandra." The vampire glared at the hybrid.

"We didn't tell you because you have to move forward with your life. You can't run home every time something bad happens, Elena." She explained.

"You both lied to me." The female vampire glowered. "How can I even begin to forgive you both? When it concerns my family and my boyfriend, I have every damn right to know." Her haze of rage was quickly descending over her again and she grabbed a book of matches.

"Elena, what are you doing?" Damon tried to wrestle the book from her hands but she fought him.

"Get off me!" She hissed as she continued to strike the match against the book, but it wouldn't take. With one hard smack, the book flew out of her hands and Damon scooped it up. "You wouldn't tell me about Stefan!"

It suddenly dawned on Cassandra that a trigger to Elena's rage was Stefan. Silas was one tricky son-of-a-bitch, but if Elena could think about Stefan, perhaps her trance would break. "Think about Stefan."

At the sound of his name, the female vampire seemed to calm. "What?"

"The feelings you told me earlier today, think about them. Tell me exactly what you feel." Cassandra spurred on.

Elena slumped back down in her chair again as the feelings took over her at an alarming rate. It hurt to think about them, but it took the focus away from her rage. "It's...it's like a chill, but I can't explain it. It's like I can feel him. He's trying to reach out to me, but I don't know where he is, and I can't understand what he's trying to say. All I know is that he's scared, and he's lonely, and he's in a lot of pain. He's in a lot of pain. We have to find him." She was nearly in tears by the time she finished and the thoughts of Stefan extinguished her rage like how water crashes over a raging fire.

Cassandra nodded, her own eyes watering with tears. "We will. I swear." She rose from her chair and hugged the vampire tightly as she cried into her shoulder. "I promise that we'll find him."

After Elena had cried her eyes out, she wiped her tears and looked to Cassandra who had been pulled into a strong embrace by her husband. He was whispering softly in her ear how thankful he was that she was okay and about how sorry he was for asking her to leave him with Silas.

"It's okay, Damon." She told him assuredly and placed her hand on her stomach, smiling when she felt her child still there. "We're okay." She was terrified that Elena would kill them both, but she told herself that she would fight for both her life and her unborn child. She remembered when Silas taunted her at prom and toyed with her emotions. She promised herself after she had crawled back from the depths of hell that she would never let anyone take advantage of her again. Maybe that was why her rage was so sudden. Her child's life had been threatened and she went completely rogue.

It was Elena's turn to stand now and she walked over to the couple. The female vampire's eyes were glued on Cassandra's stomach and to her completely surprise, she could hear the pitter patter of a tiny heartbeat resting inside her womb. "Can I...can I feel it?"

Smiling at the young vampire's excitement, Cassandra took Elena's wrists and placed her hands on her stomach. The vampire could actually feel the baby and her eyes widened.

"Oh my god!" Her hands moved on the hybrid's stomach, passing back and forth and the baby's heartbeat increased, as if sensing her excitement.

"Crazy, right?" Cassandra giggled as she watched Elena touch her belly.

"This is impossible, but I feel it." She said. The doorknob turned and Caroline peered inside. Her nose wrinkled at the sight before her.

"What the hell is going on in here?" She asked. Both girls looked at each other, giggling and smiling. Elena's glance shifted slightly as if questioning Cassandra with a simple look. Cassandra nodded and Elena darted over to Caroline, taking her wrist and leading her back to the hybrid.

"Why isn't anyone saying anything? Here I am worried sick about what happened and-" Caroline's ramblings were stopped as soon as Elena put her hands on Cassandra's stomach. Blue eyes were wide as dinner plates and she could hardly bring herself to speak. Damon stood behind his wife, putting his hands on her shoulders and kissing her ear lovingly. It had been hard keeping the pregnancy a secret from everyone, but as each new person found out, it was taking a large weight off their shoulders.

Caroline's hands went to her mouth to cover the gasp that left her lips. She was in awe, this was something that had never happened in the history of vampirism and yet, here it was.

* * *

Elena huffed as she stuffed her last duffle bag into the back of Cassandra's car. After a long night of explanations, she decided that for now it would be best to return to Mystic Falls until things were sorted out. Last night she had dreams of Stefan again and they only fueled her desires to find him and make sure that he was safe. Silas was not seen on campus since the fiasco that occurred yesterday, but it was very possible that he could have gone back to Mystic Falls to cause even more trouble.

"Got everything?" Cassandra asked from behind her and she turned and nodded.

"I think so," Elena replied. "I am just really nervous about Stefan. I mean, what if my feelings are right? What if he really is in a lot of danger? And what if Silas hid him some place where we can't find him?"

"Hey, hey, hey." The hybrid placed a pair of comforting hands on the vampire's shoulders. "You can't think like that because if you do, Stefan will think like that too. We'll find him."

Elena wrapped her arms around Cassandra's form, hugging her tightly before pulling down and looking down at her stomach. "Cassandra, last night...I'm so sorry. Silas just got in my head and-"

"Elena-"

"No, what if I went through with it? What if..."

Sighing deeply, Cassandra ran a hand through her hair. "But you didn't. We're okay." She told her firmly. All last night Elena was apologizing for nearly killing Cassandra's child and it was making her a little sick to keep constantly hearing it. "Look, I almost beat you up so hard that I could have punched your head right off your shoulders. I almost killed you last night if Damon didn't stop me."

"Do you have any idea why that happened?" Elena asked.

"No, but I wish I knew. Maybe it's a defense mechanism. All I know is, my anger was out of control. It was like I was black with rage." She sighed. "I couldn't stop myself."

"You two ready?" Damon asked as he approached Cassandra's car with a tray of coffees. Elena nodded, took one from him and hopped in the car. "Good morning." He handed Cassandra her coffee and a kiss.

"Morning and thank you." She took a few long sips and hummed in delight.

"So, can we agree it's weird that Elena is having odd dreams about Stefan?" He posed.

"Okay, so maybe it's weird, but they love each other, Damon. She can't help it if she gets a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach." She said. "Call it women's intuition. I'm glad that she'll be home."

Damon's mouth wrinkled, making a face. "But it was so nice having the house to ourselves."

"It's not like we did anything." She giggled, sipping more of her coffee. "I was either really sick or too tired." Cassandra wouldn't lie, but she and Damon had a very healthy sex life and they were not ashamed of it. When Jeremy went back to school, they had the house to themselves for a few days and Damon was looking to rekindle their passionate romance, but Cassandra was often struck with morning sickness or she was so tired from the night before because of the morning sickness.

"I know, but in my head, we were animals." Damon smirked and took up her coffee, placing it on the roof of the car.

"Oh really?" She challenged. "Well, I'd love to hear what ran through that twisted little head of yours." Her husband stepped closer to her and bent down, so his lips were at her ear. Hushed whispers and naughty thoughts were spoken, making Cassandra shiver and tremble at the thought.

"Hmm, very interesting." Her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth as he continued. "Oh my, well, I do miss when you do that." Damon was ready to keep speaking when Elena honked the horn, signaling for them to hurry up.

Damon growled as he pulled away. "Are you sure you don't want to retract that statement about you being happy that Elena is coming home."

"I heard that!" The young vampire shouted.

"Don't be mean. She has every right to come home and help look for her boyfriend who has been missing all summer." She tsked.

"Oh, that reminds me." Damon fished a chunky ring from his pocket and showed it to Cassandra.

"That's Stefan's daylight ring."

"Snagged it from Silas yesterday." He bragged.

Cassandra took the ring and held it between her fingers. "Didn't know I married a kleptomaniac."

"Surprise." Her husband smirked, but it faltered knowing the Stefan was just about powerless without his daylight ring. It was one thing to make a vampire suffer all summer, but to take their daylight ring was low. Cassandra opened Damon's hand and placed the ring in his palm.

"We'll find Stefan." She told him assuredly and closed his fingers around the ring. "And the two of us will be okay."

Damon pocketed the ring and put his right hand on her stomach, a smile touching his lips. "The three of us."

Cassandra's smile only grew brighter and she went up on her tip toes to kiss him soundly, her arms winding around his neck. Damon held her hips, squeezing them firmly and deepening the kiss. Their lips moved smoothly over one another's, enjoying the loving caresses and tender touches they shared. Damon walked them backwards, pressing his wife against her truck and she giggled innocently as he took control. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth, brushing it over hers and Cassandra took the chance to nip at his bottom lip. She whimpered wantonly, begging him for more and her stomach flipped when she felt Damon's hand cup her behind. They may have been in the middle of the campus parking lot that was busy with students who were eyeballing the eager couple, but they didn't care. Being parents would be a difficult challenge, but it was a relief to know that they were both on board with the idea to not give up on one another.

"Excuse me! Do you mind?" Caroline shouted from across the parking lot and the couple begrudgingly broke apart. "Do that when you get home!"

Cassandra bit her bottom lip and pressed her lips to Damon's again. She kissed him fully and gave Caroline the middle-finger over her husband's shoulder. Caroline just shook her head and went back to her room, leaving the married couple to their...business. Damon's arousal only heightened feeling his wife cuddling against him, but his phone ringing in his pocket meant that other pressing matters were calling. He grumbled some choice words under his breath and answered it. Not one to be ignored so easily, Cassandra placed her hands on his strong chest and pouted adorably. Damon's gaze was fixated on her pouting lips, wishing that he could kiss them. She ducked her head in the crook of his neck, gently loving and nipping at the skin there.

"Yeah?" He drawled into the phone.

_"We found something."_

* * *

The trio practically flew back to Mystic Falls and they met Liz in the woods where she led them to a large safe that was on the ground. Was this safe Stefan's prison the entire summer?

"We didn't find anything in the quarry, but a deputy found this a few miles away." Liz told them as Damon stepped closer to it, examining the safe.

"So, do you think that Stefan was trapped in this for the entire summer?" Cassandra asked. "I know that he's kinda on the animal blood diet, but he would have been strong enough to get his way out of this safe."

"Not unless Silas weakened him." Damon said.

"But we've met Silas, he's far from the quintessential vampire we know today." She added.

"That doesn't mean that he's not crafty. Over the past few days, we've seen how crafty he actually is." The vampire kicked the side of the safe with his boot. "Did your deputies touch it?"

Liz shook her head. "Didn't open it. If Stefan's been in there for three months, chances are, he's hungry." Damon turned the heavy dial on the safe, hearing the lock click out of place. Cassandra stood on the other side and helped him to lift the door open. Peering inside, Elena recoiled seeing a bloody corpse resting inside the safe.

"Oh, my God. That's not Stefan." She whimpered.

Damon turned to Liz before looking down at the body again. The neck was ripped out and blood stained its clothes. "Well, you were right. He was hungry. I bet he still is."

* * *

**Well, it looks like Cassandra's hormones and anger are getting a little out of control. She will kill anyone who goes near her and Damon's unborn child. Elena knows about Stefan and Silas. The girls know about the baby and STEFAN IS OUT OF THE SAFE! Brace yourselves for this Thursday because the Ripper is back! Please review :D**

* * *

**Writers Block 420:** Thank you for reviewing! I do like Elijah and Giuliana together! They have a nice chemistry which is very sweet and endearing.

**grapejuice101:** Thanks for reviewing! I am torn between both Elijah/Giuliana and Klaus/Giuliana. Their relationships are both so different. Hmm, that would be a very interesting dynamic if Klaus found out that Cassandra was also pregnant. Right now, Elijah is the only one who knows that she is pregnant and he is...in a box :(

**Silently Tearful:** Thank you for reviewing! I like Giuliana with Klaus and Elijah too! Both relationships are very different and so are both men. They are very delicious men ;) I liked the insert with Damon and Cassandra too. I would love to have a crossover, but right now, Elijah is the only person who knows that Cassandra is pregnant. Maybe during a hiatus, Damon and Cassandra could vacation in New Orleans.

**sarahmichellegellarfan1:** Thanks girl! I hope you saw the episode and liked my twist on it :)

**Nymartian****:** Thank you for your review! I do like both relationships because they have different dynamics! There will be some Marcel/Giuliana in the upcoming chapters and especially after tonight's TO episode. So stay tuned!

**Seira asami:** Thank you for reviewing! Katherine is Silas' long lost doppelganger? Hmm, that is an interesting theory. Paul Wesely is an amazing actor and I enjoy watching him. I like writing Elijah with Giuliana because he is very kind and sweet. Plus, he looks great in a suit ;) I do hope that he will be undaggered soon!

**xoxobianca13:** Thanks for reviewing! I like the Klaus/Giuliana/Elijah/Hayley dynamic too! And I think the little insert with Damon and Cassandra was nice to add in. I'd like to do more in the future. I like Elijah's protectiveness over Giuliana and that is part of his nature.

**rosa:** Thank you for your review! I think it would be nice for Cassandra and Damon to go to New Orleans, but we'll have to see how that goes.

**nickiR0x:** You do not suck because I am kinda stuck on which one to pick too! Elijah is a good guy and I think that he should get the girl. We'll have to see how the next few chapters play out since Elijah is in a box :( Thanks so much for reviewing, girl!

**DreamCatcher1920:** Thank you for reviewing!

**smkbaby123:** Hehe, I'm rooting for Elijah too. But I love Klaus too! Gah! So hard to decide!

**SomebodyWhoCares:** I hope that the morning sickness goes away too! I am stuck between Klaus/Giuliana and Elijah/Giuliana too! Thank you for reviewing!

**flazzy cullen:** I think Klaus deserves a real love too, but so does Elijah! Thanks so much for reviewing! I love the Originals! I think it is a really great show and I've heard that the CW ordered more episodes for the show :)

**shippolove844:** Thank you for reviewing! Cassandra's pregnancy will get interesting, although it will not be like the movie Twilight. I was liking Elijah and Giuliana too and then Klaus has to do...that! Gah!

**Guest:** Thanks for your review! I like E and G too!

**Rose1324:** Thank you so much, girl! Here is your update :)

**rosa:** Thanks for reviewing! I am sorry that this chapter took a little longer to update, but I am very busy with classes. Please be patient with me and I will update as soon as I can :) I might have a crossover with Damon and Cassandra going to New Orleans, but I will have to see how the season goes.


	6. House of the Rising Son (TO)

**Bloodlines**

**Chapter 4: House of the Rising Son (TO)**

**Beta:**** PrincessOfSilence**

**Disclaimer:**** I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.**

* * *

The blaring sounds of Eminem's _Berzerk_ shook the walls of the Mikaelson mansion and Giuliana beat her fists against a punching bag. She so kindly requested to have one installed since she wanted to train her body. Being a human, she needed to learn how to protect herself if she was to walk in the French Quarter unharmed. She jabbed at the bag forcefully and delivered some hard kicks, trying to beat out her frustrations from a few nights ago. She'd learned from Klaus that Elijah left town unexpectedly with no word of when or if he would be back. She was angry with the Original for leaving her in New Orleans after promising to protect her. He swore that he would never go back on his word and yet he left without so much as a goodbye. Sweat dripped down her body and as the lyrics of the music were screaming from the stereo, she wailed on the bag even harder and it swung back and forth on the chain that suspended it from the ceiling. Her anger rose with each punch and kick until she ran herself ragged. Her muscles burned and she stopped her assaults, leaning herself against the bag. Hot tears mixed with sweat and she hastily tried to wipe them away, but she was really hurt that Elijah just up and left. He promised...he promised to keep her safe.

"What's all this racket?" She heard Klaus's voice over the music and he turned the radio down until it shut off. Giuliana made sure her tears were dried before turning to scowl at him.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to train." She started hitting the bag again in an effort to ignore him, but Klaus stood by the bag, holding it in place.

"Still angry at Elijah, love?" He wondered.

"First, don't call me 'love.' Second, he promised to protect me and then left me in an unfamiliar city with Marcel practically breathing down my neck. Of course I'm angry at him." She huffed as she continued to beat the bag. "So much for being noble."

"Yes, I'm afraid that Elijah does have his faults even though he is the noblest out of all of my siblings." Klaus replied as he watched her jab. "C'mon, love, you can hit harder than that."

"I know I can," she muttered under her breath just before she punched Klaus hard. He recoiled, her bare hand busting his bottom lip which was now bleeding. "Will you leave me alone now?"

The Original hybrid growled low in his chest, pressing his fingers to his bloody lip. "You know, I remember the last time Elijah left you. It was in Italy; he left without telling you and you found your way into my bed." The ex-hunter moved away from the bag now, all of her anger was focused on Klaus who was having too much fun taunting her. When she was a human, she and Elijah spent quite a lot of time with one another, but he suddenly went on a journey without notice. In her moment of weakness and after a night of heavy drink at a feast, she and Klaus did the deed. The two always had a natural attraction towards each other, that was a given, but Giuliana liked to play hard to get. Klaus would flirt and be coy with her to try and win her over, but she was quick to flirt right back.

_Lips smashed onto each other's, making a frenzied pace of teeth and tongues scraping and dancing. Her hands fisted his tunic, pulling him closer to her and she whimpered against his mouth when his arousal pressed into her belly. Klaus growled heatedly and yanked her sleeves off of her shoulders, allowing her breasts to fly free from their restricted prison. He palmed them roughly, molding them in his large hands and the girl broke the kiss to moan up at the moon._

_She'd had too much to drink, her head was spinning wildly, but she didn't care;__Elijah was gone and he had broken her heart. She'd never felt more like a brazen whore in her entire life before tonight, but here she was pressed against a tree with Niklaus nibbling teasingly at her neck. His tongue snaked along her raw skin and she shivered, gasping and tugging at his hair. He had taunted her, telling her so that Elijah would leave but she ignored him. They would constantly bicker back and forth and tonight it came to a head. Heavy drinks mixed with__Niklaus'__teasing caused them both to erupt, giving into the carnal desires that had been hindered because of wandering eyes. Niklaus was a handsome young man, there was no doubt about that, and he could have any woman he wanted in the village. He wanted Giuliana because she was a lady at heart, but she could square wits with any man that came her way including Niklaus. There had always been a physical attraction between them, one that had Giuliana's friends asking how the Mikaelson brother was in bed, but Giuliana would snort and carry on about how she would never stoop so low as to sleep with him. It was all a ruse because on the inside, she wanted him to take her roughly._

_Tonight, she had gotten her wish._

_Her hands hurriedly grabbed at his leather woven belt, tearing it from his body and her fists clutched his tunic, eager to have it join his belt which was broken and on the forest ground. The hard bark of the tree scratched her back, but the added pain only made this encounter more thrilling. Klaus's hands hiked up her dress onto her hips and he released himself from his trousers. Without warning, he pushed himself inside her, enjoying the sound of her gasping and whimpering as she adjusted to feeling so full. His mouth went to her breasts, suckling them and his tongue drew circles around her pert nipples._

_"Nik...Niklaus." She stammered blissfully and her hands wound in his thick hair, tugging him away from her breasts to meet her lips again. Her right leg hiked up around his hip, pulling them closer and he growled against her lips. "Prendimi adesso. Per favore." [Take me now. Please]_

_Without warning, he pulled out and thrust all the way back in at a crushing force. She would have screamed, but Klaus kissed her hard, muffling her sounds. They had moved away from the gathering in the village and out to the forest where they would not be seen or heard, but they still did need to be quiet if they didn't want people to find out. Nails scratched down his strong back, red marks marring his flawless skin and that only made Klaus hungrier. He pounded into her so hard that he could hear the wood of the tree cracking with each thrust. Her breasts bounced, her nipples brushing against his hard chest and Giuliana felt his hand at the back of her leg that was perched on the ground. She eased herself up, with Klaus's help and she wrapped both of her legs around his waist, effectively pulling him deeper inside her._

"Then, after his long trip, he returned with Kol and we all know how well that ended." He added.

"Yes, of course I remember." She swung at him but he ducked. "You and your brothers killed my brother."

"Only because he decided to dagger me and my brothers." Klaus growled. Giuliana yanked a stake from her ankle and chucked it at him. It nicked the side of his cheek and was buried in the wall behind him. "Your aim is improving, darling."

"Maybe I can get it through your heart next time." She watched him yank the stake from the wall and twist it around in his hand.

"Not like it could kill me." He smirked.

"No, but it would certainly hurt." Giuliana kicked at him, but he caught her ankle in his hand. He flashed them, roughly shoving her against the wall.

"This is certainly familiar, darling." He smirked and ducked his head in the crook of her neck, just under her ear. "Brings back fond memories, doesn't it?"

Giuliana struggled against him, however she could barely contain her stomach from jumping when the stubble of his beard scratched at her skin. "The only thing this brings back is my gag reflex." She looped her right leg around his left one and shoved his opposite shoulder, causing them to fall to the floor in a heap. Giuliana managed to get on top of him and her fingers gripped the stake that had rolled near her. She pressed the tip against Klaus's heart, the sharp point just barely breaking the skin and the hybrid clenched his teeth.

Klaus pushed his upper body off the floor, so they were situated eye to eye, however his movement pushed the stake further into him. The wood splintered and was tapping against his chest cavity, but he felt a minimal amount of pain. The tension between them slowly dissipated into nothing and just the silence around them filled the void. Green eyes met blue ones as they remained tangled together on the floor. She felt that haze fogging over her mind from just a few nights ago when Klaus was this close to her.

_"Why do you care?"_ The question echoed in her mind again and he didn't even speak, but his eyes were asking that very same question. Maybe she did care because she saw the good in him. Maybe she believed that this baby would change him and make others see the good in him too. Or maybe she remembered the things he made her feel all those years ago.

"Woah..." Hayley deadpanned, standing in the doorway with her hands crossed over her chest. Giuliana peered at the girl from over her shoulder and she climbed off Klaus, discarding the stake on a table of weapons that was nearby. Klaus didn't say a word; he simply sauntered out of the room, leaving Hayley staring at Giuliana.

"We were just practicing." She told the wolf as she took the tape off her knuckles.

"Sure." The wolf smirked, biting her bottom lip. "You might want to watch out, if you two get any closer, he'll knock you up too."

Giuliana's green eyes went wide and she discarded the tape. "Hayley, he just likes to get on my nerves."

"From what I hear, he does that a lot." She snickered and placed a hand on her stomach.

"You hungry?" Giuliana asked and gripped the tip of her ponytail. She wrapped it around her finger, winding it around till all strands of hair went tight and she wrapped it around the hair tie of her ponytail, pinning it up so her hair was off the back of her neck.

"Yeah," Hayley nodded. "What is there to eat in this house?"

The ex hunter dabbed her face and collarbone dry with a towel. "Well, I guess we'll find out."

* * *

Bringing her car to a screeching halt, Rebekah parked in front of the mansion that she had called home nearly three hundred years ago. It had still looked the same, its magnificent beauty hadn't been roughed by the passage of time and it brought back the memories of all those years ago. She climbed out of the car with her phone to her ear, leaving yet another hostile message on her older brother's voicemail.

"Elijah, if not answering your phone is part of your clever plan to get me back to this godforsaken city, then well done. I'm here, and I'm worried. Now, pick up before I kick in your bloody door." Clicking the phone off, she walked up the front porch steps and tried the door handle. To her dismay, she did not have to kick down the door, so she just pushed it open. She stepped inside and slammed the door behind her quite loudly, releasing some of her pent up anger.

"Elijah?" She called out into the house and spotted a shadowy figure rushing

down the steps. Once they came into the light, Rebekah made out that it was a soaking wet Giuliana.

"Oh, it's you." She clutched the towel around her body and let the bat hang by her side. While she was showering she heard someone enter the house, so she grabbed whichever weapon was closest and went to investigate.

"A baseball bat. Really?" The blonde scoffed.

"Who the hell are you?" Hayley was now making her way down the stairs with a fire poker in her hands.

"Well, she took the fire poker, so I improvised," Giuliana huffed.

"Oh, you must be the maid. My bags are in the car. Get them, will you?" Rebekah ordered and Hayley smiled wryly, putting the fire poker down.

"Hello. Not the maid."

Rebekah then fully looked over the wolf who was standing in the foyer and that seemed to jog her memory. "Right. You're that werewolf girl my brother, Klaus, knocked up. I was expecting to see some kind of supernatural, miracle baby bump. Guess you're not showing yet. It's Hayley, isn't it?"

"You have your brother's manners." Hayley noted.

"And his temper, too, so watch it." She snapped. "Where's Elijah?"

Giuliana frowned at the very mention of the Original's name. "He's gone."

"You're lying." Rebekah narrowed her eyes.

"Klaus told me that he bailed and that was after his noble promise to protect us." She added.

"Guess that's what we get for trusting a vampire." Hayley grumbled. She had been upset by Elijah's sudden disappearance too because she was in a delicate condition, but she wasn't nearly as angry as Giuliana was.

"Elijah is not just any vampire, and he doesn't break promises. Which means Niklaus has done something dastardly and Klaus-like." The blonde Original exited the foyer and entered one of the rooms on the first floor. Both girls followed her, Giuliana cursing herself that she didn't throw on some clothes before she trekked water all over the house.

"Klaus! Get out here and tell me what you've done with our brother, you narcissistic, back-stabbing wanker!" Rebekah's shrieking made them flinch visibly and no sooner had her insults on her brother stopped, a pair of doors opened and Klaus stepped inside.

"Enough with all the shouting!" He scolded. "Little sister, I should have known. I assume the six dead vampires were your doing?"

Rebekah smirked evilly, but her eyes still held a childlike innocence that was very daunting. "They were very rude; trying to victimize a poor, innocent girl just trying to find her way to the Quarter." She had stopped into a bar to ask for directions to the Quarter. It had been a long time since she had been back in New Orleans and she simply needed some assistance on finding her way. The vampires in the bar, however, were less than helpful. She skewered some of them with pool sticks while the others were disposed of the usual way by having their hearts ripped out. Marcel had complained to Klaus that six vampires had suddenly been killed and Klaus only knew that his precious little sister was behind all of the bloodshed.

"So sorry, were they friends of yours? Oh, that's right, you don't have any friends." Rebekah teased.

"I do have friends. I have Marcel. You remember him, don't you?" Klaus immediately saw the change in her eyes when he mentioned his protégé's name. "Yes, of course you do. He fancies himself the 'King of the Quarter' now, and he has these rules about killing vampires. It'll be fun to see what sort of punishment he comes up with for you."

Rebekah rolled her blue eyes, mocking both Marcel and her brother. "I don't care about Marcel or his rules. Elijah doesn't welsh on deals. What did you do to him?"

"Perhaps he's on holiday...or taking a long autumn nap upstairs." His eyes indicated that the Original was locked away upstairs and Rebekah's fists clenched at her sides.

"You didn't." Giuliana's eyes narrowed, her eyebrows furrowing.

"If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's to never put it past Klaus to stab his siblings in the back." The blonde hissed.

"Well, go on. Take a look around. You remember this house as well as I."

"I remember everything." His sister spoke. "I remember how the drunken fool of a governor hid away all of our vampire sins in exchange for gold. I remember the lavish parties the governor threw, as if to impress you." The words left her mouth and they had begun to paint a vivid picture of the very house that they were living in when it was in its glory days. "I remember finding a moment of affection with the governor's son, Emil. And I remember that even Elijah was happy." Her eyes met Giuliana who was shivering her wet towel. "Well, that was after he got over you."

"What?" She questioned and pulled the towel tighter around her.

"Do you have water in your ears?" Rebekah quipped and then looked to her brother. "Niklaus, would you fetch her something to wear?"

"I'd rather see her like this." He smirked and Giuliana glared as she brushed past him.

"Pig!" She shouted over her shoulder and traipsed upstairs to put on something a little more presentable. Bits and pieces of the conversation slithered into her ears and she swallowed at the mere notion of Klaus throwing a young man off a balcony just because he managed to set off his temper. Klaus never thought that any man was good enough for his precious little sister, so he slaughtered each one where he stood. The door slammed loudly downstairs, indicating that Klaus had gone out for yet another drink with Marcel and Giuliana joined Rebekah and Hayley just as they were standing in the foyer.

"We're searching the house for Elijah and you're helping," Rebekah snapped. The blonde Original led the two girls down a winding staircase on the other side of the house and each girl held a flashlight to light the way. "The governor had lots of secret rooms. I'll show you his favorite." She pushed open a door, revealing a dark room with cobwebs hanging from the walls and ceiling. Some spiders were perched in their webs in dusty corners, eagerly awaiting a mosquito or two to eat for dinner. Giuliana shuddered, turning away from the arachnids and flashing her light on coffins that lay on the far side of the room.

"You think Klaus killed him?" Hayley wondered.

"Original vampires can't be killed, but if they are stabbed with a dagger dipped in white oak, it sends them into a deep sleep until the dagger is removed." Giuliana said and Rebekah looked approvingly at her.

"Someone's been brushing up on their history." She praised with a pearly smile. "Klaus gets his jollies from keeping us in a box, until he decides to pull the dagger out. That must be what he's done to Elijah." She shined her light on a pristine white coffin with golden accents on the lid. "This one's mine."

"He keeps your coffin on standby." The wolf gulped.

"Why am I not surprised?" The ex hunter sighed.

"He likes to be prepared for when his family members inevitably disappoint him." Rebekah replied and frowned seeing that her brother's coffin was missing. "Elijah's isn't here – he must've stashed him elsewhere."

Hayley could feel bile rising up in her throat. "I feel sick."

"That make two of us." Giuliana grumbled.

"Welcome to the family, lovelies. You should've run the second you realized Elijah was gone." The blonde tsked.

"Yeah, well, the witches have put some sort of hex on me. As long as I'm carrying this baby, I can't leave New Orleans. If I do, they kill me." Hayley explained.

"Well, knowing Klaus, he's planning a box for you the second you give birth to whatever's cooking in your tum. I'm leaving as soon as I find Elijah. Being daggered in a box for decades sucks, trust me. You'd best find a way to break that hex and run." Her eyes then landed on Giuliana. "What about you? Why didn't you run?"

"I came here willingly to get away from Silas, but this baby drama is bigger than anything I've known. I could leave if I wanted, but I made a promise to Hayley." Giuliana stated. "And I don't break promises."

"Don't get your panties in a twist just because you think Elijah ran out on you. He would never do that. I know my brother. The one you should be angry at is Klaus." Rebekah's blue eyes narrowed and she left the cellar with Hayley in tow. Giuliana remained and shined her flashlight on the coffins, deep in thought. Perhaps she felt for Elijah so much because she knew what it was like to be locked away in a slumber for a number of years. When she asked a witch for help, she was entombed in a mausoleum with her brother's sword through her torso for nearly a century. She could not feel the passage of time or the change of the seasons, but she was ripped away from her family. That's what hurt her the most. Elijah was separated from his family, a moral that hr valued most of all and as Giuliana turned to exit the cellar, she promised that she would get Elijah back to his family.

* * *

"Hey stranger."

Cami's head snapped up from her books to see Giuliana sliding into the booth next to her carrying two drinks. The two had built a nice friendship ever since they met that night at the bar after Marcel tried to hit on Giuliana and Cami enjoyed having a girlfriend in town.

"Hey you." The blonde smiled and scooted over. "I know that I haven't been around, but classes are kicking my butt."

"That's okay. I figured you could use a drink because if you stared any harder at that book, your eyes would fall out." She craned her head to the open textbook on the table and passed Cami her drink.

"Thanks so much." Cami took some long sips while marking down a few notes in the margin of the page. "So, you've been settling into town nicely?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's a bit of a change, but I love living here." Giuliana took up a book, taking a peek inside.

"Where did you move from?" She asked curiously.

"I'm from a small town in Virginia, so coming to the Quarter is really different." The brunette recognized some of the names and terms in the book, but she would never claim to know a thing about abnormal psychology. However, she was around enough abnormal people so she could technically consider herself an expert.

"Did you come with your boyfriend?" Cami's question made her raise an eyebrow. "There was a guy here a few days ago. Really handsome, dressed in a suit. He said that he came here with you."

Giuliana's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach and she felt a lump rising in her throat. "No, he's not my boyfriend. It's...complicated."

Cami frowned slightly. "Don't I know about things being complicated. But that's why us girls have to stick together."

The ex hunter smiled and clinked her glass against Cami's. "I'll drink to that."

Just a few tables over, Marcel was nursing his drink while mustering up the courage to talk to Giuliana. If she was by herself he wouldn't have any issues, but the fact that Cami was there made it all the more difficult. He was never one to get shy around women, but Giuliana was something else. Ever since Davina gave him her name, she was all that was on his mind. He wanted her to be the queen and rule by his side over the Quarter and she fit the bill. The front door of the cafe opened and he grinned as Klaus waltzed in and sat down opposite him.

"Well, this is a far cry from last night's party." Marcel didn't answer him, so Klaus followed his gaze which was locked on the two girls sitting across the room. "Ah, in pursuit of the bartender from _Rousseau's,_ I see."

Marcel shook his head. "No, not her. You can have the blonde. I've got my eyes on the brunette."

"And I see that you've made no progress." Klaus smirked, but he was boiling inside. Elijah had told him that Marcel was pursuing Giuliana, but he thought nothing of it.

"She's a work in progress." The vampire grinned.

"And yet here you are, pining over her when you should be eating her for lunch. Oh, she must be special." Klaus said.

"Business first." Marcel stated. "The coroner called. He's got my number in case any dead tourists show up."

"Let me guess – dead tourists with a stamp on the hand and vampire blood in their veins?" He wondered.

Marcel shrugged nonchalantly. "It happens. Someone takes a drunken tumble off a balcony, or into the Mississippi...And today I got two of them to deal with." His voice trailed off watching Giuliana rise to her feet and his sire picked the perfect time to spring into action. Cami was with her, carrying a handful of books and Klaus stopped the two of them.

"Excuse me. What's that you're studying?" He asked the blonde.

"Is he bothering you?" Giuliana crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't be silly, love. I'm simply trying to friendly." Klaus grinned.

Cami's blue gaze darted between the two. "Do you know each other?"

"Unfortunately." The brunette sighed. "Seriously, if he's bothering you, we can leave."

"No, it's okay." She shook her head and plucked up one of her books, waving it. "I'm studying abnormal psychology."

Klaus nodded slowly. "Abnormal psychology, well. Perhaps you could help me diagnose my friend over here." He gently took Cami's arm and led him to Marcel's table. Giuliana followed of course and avoided meeting Marcel's gaze.

"Are you sure that you don't need a diagnosis, Klaus?" She jeered and Marcel cracked a wide smile.

Klaus simply ignored her and placed a hand on Marcel's shoulder. "He's been a little bit depressed, can't keep his mind off a girl. He tells me she's a queen, fit for a king. I think he should cut his losses and move on. What's your professional opinion?"

Cami thought about it for a few moments and happened to catch that Marcel was eyeing an unimpressed Giuliana up and down. "Be a nice guy, and maybe the opportunity will present itself some day."

"And what about you?" Everyone's gaze was now settled on Giuliana who shifted her weight from one hip to the other.

"I agree with Cami, but don't waste her time. If you really like her and intend on treating her like a queen, show her." She said and turned on her heel to leave.

"How about tonight, nine o'clock?" Marcel called to her and stood up from his seat. Giuliana halted her steps and looked back at him. "I'll meet you right here?"

"Maybe you will and maybe you won't." Giuliana tsked.

"Well, is that a yes?" He questioned and she shook her head.

"No."

"Is that a no?"

Shaking her head again, Giuliana adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder. "No." She and Cami left the cafe and Marcel deflated visibly, sinking back in his seat.

"Mm, harsh."

"I daresay I've lost my touch. Or you've lost yours." Klaus went back to sipping his drink.

"Where do you know her from?" Marcel asked curiously and Klaus had to weave some kind of lie as to not draw attention to the fact that he was trying to rot Marcel's operation from the inside-out.

"She's a friend of Elijah. I'm afraid that she and I never got along." That made sense enough for Klaus.

"Just a friend? Or personal blood bag?" He wondered.

"Just a friend. See, she knows about our world, but has no desire to become part of it." His sire explained. "She's quite the handful."

"Hey, I can handle anything." Marcel grinned.

* * *

"This is why I told _you_ never to leave the house. Werewolves are banned in the Quarter. I had a plan, and your little nighttime stroll put it all in peril!" Klaus hissed at Hayley would was short from quivering as the events of tonight played in her head.

_"Come on, Hayley. One upset stomach and all this stupid drama is ancient history." She chanted to herself as she held a cup in her hands. She had bought herbs from a witch earlier in the day and she was told that the mixture would kill the child that was growing inside her. The wolf wanted out of New Orleans and out of the Mikaelson family that was holding her hostage for a child that would promise Klaus's redemption. She didn't care about Klaus and she sure as hell didn't care about the baby. Hayley lifted the cup to her lips and her nose wrinkled at the pungent smell. Her lips touched the very rim and she prepared herself to drink, but just before the poison touched her lips, she stopped. She couldn't do this. It was just unfair. The child growing inside her day by day was innocent in all of this and if she was to harm it, she'd be killing an innocent child. Letting her conscious get the best of her, Hayley lowered the cup into her lap and drummed her fingers against the bench she was sitting on._

_She was lost in her own thoughts when a cracking branch sounded off, alerting her that someone was in the area. The wolf stood and swiveled her head around for an opposing threat. She found it in one of Marcel's night walkers who was closing in on her._

_"Dumb move, coming into the Quarter. You're coming with me,__wolf." The vampire hissed._

_Hayley glared vehemently at him. "I have had it up to here with vampires telling me what to do." Still clutching the cup, she tossed the contents onto the vampire's face and he roared loudly in pain. Hayley spun around, only to be faced with two more vampires who did not look pleased. One of the charged for her, but his forehead exploded, a bullet lodged in the back of his head. The other vampire was quickly disarmed by Rebekah who had torn his heart out and pushed his dead body to the floor._

_"Now, that is no way to treat a pregnant lady. I do hate bad manners." She chided and threw the heart to the floor. The blonde looked over her shoulder to see Giuliana cocking her gun. "Nice aim and thanks for the tip."_

_The vampire that Giuliana had shot was writhing and groaning on the ground, but too weak to fight back. She bent down to his body and pressed the barrel of the gun against his heart. "Who tipped you off about a werewolf?"_

_Blood had begun to rise up in his throat and he spat it at her. The brunette recoiled, but kept the gun in place. "M...Marcel will h-have your head."_

_"Not if I have yours first." With a blood stained face and a deadly look in her eyes, Giuliana pulled the trigger. The vampire's eyes rolled back in his head at the bullet penetrated his heart and he slumped to the floor._

_"Marcel should teach his pets better manners." Giuliana stood and pocketed the gun as she wiped the blood off her cheeks._

"And you," Klaus pointed at Giuliana after he tossed a rotting vampire corpse onto the growing pile. "What was your business being in the Quarter late at night?"

"Hayley may be confined to this house, Klaus, but I'm not." She fought. "I was having a drink at a dive bar where I heard that one of Marcel's vampires called him up to say that a werewolf had wandered into the park. I had to protect Hayley and her child which was Elijah's job, but you saw to it that he can't do that anymore."

"You could have gotten killed. Or worse, they could have taken you straight to Marcel and they would have tortured you till you blabbed. And then this plan—my plan—would have been ruined." Klaus glowered.

"Why do you care if Marcel had gotten to me?!" Giuliana shouted and the two were now standing eye to eye with their jaws clenched at one another. She had turned the tables on him and he was now the one to be speechless. The ex hunter saw a shift in his stature; shoulders slumped and he deflated as all of the air left his chest. His mouth opened and closed a few times, searching for an answer, but nothing came. Truthfully, he didn't know what he would do with himself if Giuliana had fallen into the hands of Marcel. His first option would be to make New Orleans rain blood and any other option seemed pointless. Giuliana took a step back, almost frozen by his lack of speech, but she watched his temper flair up again when Rebekah moved to pull a wriggling vampire from the pile.

"Leave him!" He roared at Rebekah and she heeded his command. "You've done enough, don't you think? Leaving a trail of bodies like a road map to my door?" He growled.

"If I hadn't overheard this lot bragging about werewolf heads, everyone here would be screwed. And don't give me that crap about having a plan. You've had all the time in the world to execute a plan, and no one's seen you do a damn thing!" Rebekah stamped her feet. "Elijah made a deal to protect your child, so that it could save you from your selfish, rotten self. But you obviously don't give a damn about the child or Elijah, because what have you done to honor it?"

Klaus whirled around on his little sister. "I have done everything. Let me spell it out for you, shall I? From the day I arrived, Marcel hasn't trusted me. From Day One, he's had his vampires ingest toxic vervain which, as you know, little sister, protects them from my mind control."

"Okay, and?" Giuliana tilted her head.

"I needed a spy, someone on the inside with me who Marcel would never suspect. So, I created a Day Zero and got there first. Marcel had just lost six vampires, thanks to your little murder spree, and he needed new recruits. So, I made the new one mine, before he'd had even a drop of vervain." Klaus explained and looked to Giuliana.

"I had everything in place, but I needed a distraction for Marcel. You, my dear, were busy playing protector, so I used your blonde bartender friend."

"Cami?! You brought her into this? Are you crazy?" She shouted, but Klaus ignored her and grabbed the vampire from the pile. He dragged him all the way up to the front porch and inside the house.

"And this one – I'm gonna drain him of vervain, compel him to believe his mates found religion and moved to Utah, so that he can explain to Marcel why he lost three more vampires tonight." The hybrid left the vampire in the front foyer and Rebekah, Hayley, and Giuliana followed him further into the house.

"Does anyone have any more questions?" His blue eyes stopped on the form of each quiet woman. "No? Good, because I have a question. Hayley, what were you doing in the bloody French Quarter in the first place?"

Hayley didn't answer him; she stood her ground and kept a stiff upper lip. That only made Klaus's already hot temper grow.

"Answer me!" Hayley flinched visibly.

"Leave her be." Rebekah defended the young wolf.

Hayley couldn't stand to be silent anymore. She side stepped from being behind Rebekah and faced Klaus. "You wanna know what I was doing? I was buying poison, so I could put your little baby out of its misery."

Klaus snapped, he flew at Hayley with his vampire speed and pinned her against the wall by her neck. She gasped for air and tried to pry his hand off, but she was quickly becoming lightheaded.

"Klaus!"

"Nik! Nik!"

Both girls pried Klaus off Hayley, Rebekah more so than Giuliana, but the blonde was able to press her brother against the opposite wall by his shoulders.

"Keep your hands off her! She is pregnant, for God's sake! All of this bluster about not wanting the child, and then the second she tells you she's ready to get rid of it?" Rebekah's words were slowly getting to him and he calmed. He watched as Giuliana rushed to Hayley's side, making sure that she was okay. The wolf massaged her neck while Giuliana gave the hybrid a glare.

"It's okay to care. It's okay to want something." Rebekah's soothing words cooled him down. "That's all Elijah was trying to do, all he's ever wanted for you. All we've ever wanted."

Her hands fell from his shoulders and the Original hybrid numbly moved from the wall to sit on the steps. Rebekah followed and sat beside him while Hayley and Giuliana watched on. The girls knew not to interrupt this family meeting, so they stayed quiet, watching everything unfold.

"I gave Elijah to Marcel." Klaus's statement made Rebekah's eyes widen and Giuliana's heart clench.

"What?"

Klaus swallowed before continuing. "Marcel was nervous. It's bad enough one Original returned to town, but two? His crew was getting antsy. He wanted Elijah gone, so I gave him a peace offering."

Rebekah's eyes burned with fierce anger. "You _bartered_ our brother?"

"I have a plan. Gain Marcel's trust, dismantle his empire, honor Elijah's wish that that baby be born. I am executing that plan the only way I know how. If you don't like it, there's the door. See if I care." Klaus rose from his seat and left without another word. The three girls sat in agonizing silence, letting Klaus's words sink in. Rebekah leaned back, realizing that she had her work cut out for her. She had to get her brother back from Marcel and she wouldn't stop until she did.

* * *

The following morning, Klaus made his way up and down the hallway right in front of Giuliana's room. Last night, he let his anger completely control him and he said some things that he shouldn't have. He perfected his plans and with Hayley's little slip, his trust with Marcel would have been crushed. The same with Giuliana, he told her to stay at home, but she disobeyed him, however he never commanded that she was to remain in the house like Hayley. She was a free spirit and resisted voices who told her what to do. When she questioned him about why he would have cared if Marcel snatched her up, he couldn't find the words to say, but he knew deep down that he did care. He cared if she got hurt and he cared if it was at the hands of Marcel because he would kill her, no matter how much Klaus begged.

A muffled, sleepy moan drew his attention to the woman who was asleep in the room that he was waiting outside of. Mustering up his courage, he pushed the door open the door and walked inside the room. To his surprise, Giuliana was leaning against the open window and not asleep in bed. The nearly nonexistent wind tousled her hair and she pulled it into a ponytail so it was off the damp back of her neck.

"You're awake." He noted and she turned to look at him.

"How can a person sleep when this house is a sauna?" She said humorously and sat herself on the windowsill. "Certainly different from the weather in Mystic Falls."

Klaus nodded quietly and seated himself on the edge of her bed. His hands were perched on his knees and he leaned forward. "Why did you protect Hayley? I would think that you would be the first one who would want her dead because she tried to kill you. Why the sudden change of heart?"

The ex hunter crossed her legs underneath her and toyed with her ponytail that hung over her shoulder. Her fingers had begun to braid her locks while she spoke to him. "Hayley and I are on better terms, Klaus. And...she's got a baby inside of her. Your baby. That child is innocent and it has no idea of the drama that's going on out here." She had gotten to the end of her braid and she mumbled an incoherent thought about how she didn't have a hair tie, but she let the braid stay on her shoulder. "My mom had a stillborn; it was before you came to us."

"I'm sorry, love." He frowned, never hearing this before.

"I was there when she gave birth. I held her hand as she screamed and pushed. When the baby was born...he didn't cry. He was completely quiet." Her body shook as fresh tears threatened to wrack her being. She could still see that little boy freshly in her mind, covered in blood and deadly silent. He was so small and fragile that if she was to touch him, he might have shattered. The women in the room worked to try and get her baby brother to cry, but he was long gone. When all was said and done, Giuliana watched as her mother's nurses placed a sheet over the baby and she could only sob quietly as her mother's heart broke. She would never forget that image as long as she lived; it had been branded into her memory.

"A little boy?" Klaus wondered and Giuliana nodded, sniffling back some tears. Hearing about Giuliana's baby brother reminded him about his own brother Henrik. He had been taken from this world at an older age, but that didn't make the pain any less.

"My mother...my entire family was in so much pain. No one deserves to feel that kind of pain." Her voice was soft and ebbing with sadness.

"My brother died when he was just a boy of fourteen." Klaus spoke up.

"I know. Elijah told me about it. He said that you were never the same after that." She said.

"I guess we're not so different after all. We both care about our families very much."

Giuliana's lips quirked up into a smile. She stood and opened the window open a little more."Have you ever had any doubts that we're not alike?"

"Well, for one thing, we're both stubborn and we fight back when we're backed into a corner." He smirked and he heard her hum in agreement. Klaus stood too, sauntering to stand behind her and when she turned, she nearly knocked into him. The slightest of gasps left her lips as she stared up at him.

"I'm sorry about Elijah." He gazed at her. "I decided to make my own plans the best way I could. Alone. The only person that I can trust is myself."

"It's not true." Giuliana whispered. "I know that it's hard, but you have to learn to trust other people. You were an outcast in your family, I understand that, but that doesn't mean that you have to make yourself the outcast with everyone else."

"But..."

"No, you have to learn that not everyone is out to get you. There are people who care about you." One of her hands rose to palm his cheek tenderly. He flinched but let her touch his skin. Normally he was used to being hit by his father, so it was common to expect someone striking him. She noticed him back away from her, but that didn't stop her from trying to get through to him that people cared for him.

"I know that you can take care of yourself, but, if Marcel put his hands on you, I'd rip him limb from limb." He said after a few moments. She smiled softly, knowing that he would kill anyone who harmed her.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't object to it." She threw him a smirk and Klaus caught her hand, lowering it from his face, but he still held it firmly, refusing to let it go. "Rebekah told me that you and Marcel have some history together. She said that you loved him like a son."

"I made Marcel everything that he is. I treated him like a son. And when my father chased me and my family from New Orleans a hundred years ago, we believed Marcel was killed – we each mourned him, in our own way. Yet, when I returned, I found not only had he survived, he had thrived. Instead of seeking us out, instead of sticking together as one, he made a choice to take everything my family had built and make it his own." He explained and Giuliana just let him speak, taking in every piece of information that she was being told. Klaus rarely opened up, so she let him open up. "Now, he is living in our home, he is sleeping in our beds. That 'M' he stamps everywhere...it's not for 'Marcel'. It's for 'Mikaelson'. I want it all back, and if I have to push him out to get it, then that's exactly what I'll do."

A triumphant smile graced the brunette's lips. "I'll do whatever I have to do to help you, Klaus."

The Original hybrid pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. "Consider that sealing the deal." She smiled even wider and he turned to leave. "I'll have someone see to the air conditioning."

Giuliana flopped back down on her bed and hummed to herself. Perhaps this was all a step in the right direction to getting Klaus on the path to redemption and to getting Elijah back. It wouldn't be easy, but Marcel's empire had to be brought down.

And what better way to bring down an empire than by rotting it from the inside out.

* * *

**Hmm, thing are getting interesting! Giuliana and Klaus perhaps will come to some kind of understand about one another. Everyone is on the same page to get Elijah back and the next episode is the ball. Be prepared for some interesting things to happen there. Please review and let me know what you liked :)**

* * *

**Silently Tearful****: **Here's the Originals chapter for you! I hope that you enjoyed it :) Cassandra's emotions will be interesting and there will be some things in the next chapter that will be a bit of a shock. That's all I'm going to say ;) Thanks so much for reviewing!

**xoxobianca13****: **Thank you for reviewing, girl! I do love writing Damon and Cassandra a lot! And I enjoy Elena and Cassandra as well. They remind me of sisters since they both didn't have a sisterly influence. Silas is a messed up dude, but he's very slick. How else would he get to Cassandra and Damon's baby except for using a person who is close to her. Elena. I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

**Kayla: **Agreed! Cassandra is a Mama Bear :) Damon is also a sweetie, but I'm sure that he will kill anyone who hurts the love of his life and his unborn child. Thanks for the review :D

**rosa: **Thank you for reviewing! I don't want to move Damon and Cassandra to New Orleans because their child could be a werewolf and we all know how Marcel feels about werewolves. Marcel probably wouldn't want Cassandra in New Orleans because she is a hybrid like Klaus. Right now, it's a little too hectic for them to head to New Orleans, but keep reading :)

**VampirePrincess11****: **Thanks for reviewing! It is getting good! Cassandra's rage will have a tendency to take control of her.

**Nymartian: **Thank you for reviewing! Yeah, the baby secret is out in the open, but the girls know to be careful about who to tell. For the Originals, Marcel/Giuliana was in this chapter...just a little tease, but the 'Tangled Up in the Blue' chapter will have more! Stay tuned!

**sexytime321: **Cassandra's pregnancy will be interesting because this is something that her body was never prepared for. After almost 200 years of not being able to have a child, it is really strange for her body to suddenly start changing. It is also something that is unheard of, so people will naturally be interested in it and some might even go so far as to kill it. That's all I'll say for now ;) Thank you for reviewing!

**grapejuice101: **Thanks for the review, girl! Yeah, Silas is a really sick guy, but he's crafty.

**SomebodyWhoCares: **Hmm, well some women get very horny when they are pregnant...maybe Cassandra will fall into that category ;) Thanks for reviewing!

**shippolove844****: **Elijah and Giuliana make a sweet pair, but Klaus and Giuliana are good too! Klaus has always been perceived as the bad guy and that makes me sad. I think that he has a good heart. Oh, Davina! She's...hmm a bitch! I am interested in her character though and what her deal is with Marcel! Thanks for reviewing! LOL, that part was hilarious. I loved it when Damon said, "Well, clearly you haven't had sex with me." I was laughing the whole time :)

**Guest: **Yeah, Cass blacking out when she's mad is scary :/ You know, I am really split on if they should have a boy or a girl. Maybe I'll put up a poll for it. Can you imagine a little Damon running around?! I don't think the world is ready for that, LOL! Thanks for reviewing!

**Guest: **Thanks so much, girl! I'm glad that you love it! I do love Cassandra being pregnant too. Imagine how much I'll love it when she gets further and further into the pregnancy. A lot of people want me to bring Damon and Cassandra to New Orleans, but Marcel no likey werewolves and Cassandra is a hybrid.

**Seira asami****: **Yeah, that guy should think twice before he threatens a pregnant woman! Silas is evil and crafty, a real combination. And the cat is out of the bag! I was a little disappointed that he's not the ripper anymore, but now he has no memory?!

**Guest: **Thank you for reviewing! 5X03 was a mind bomb! I am still reeling from it and I am not entirely sure of what to do with it! I'll figure something out, don't you worry ;) And I think a baby Damon would be freakin adorable! He would definitely cause some trouble like his daddy.

**Tvdlover87654: **Ooh, so it looks like Elijah/Giuliana has made its way into your heart, huh? Hehe, but I am sad that he is gone :( I love a man in a suit! You can root for whoever you want, girl! Thanks for reviewing :D


	7. Original Sin (TVD)

**Bloodlines**

**Chapter 5: Original Sin (TVD)**

**Beta: PrincessOfSilence**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD and TO. I only own my characters and my story.**

* * *

_A pair of young brown eyes snapped open at the sounds of horrid screams that had penetrated her ear drums. She could barely see with the amount of thick black smoke that had covered the room. Heat engulfed everything around her and another scream broke the silence in the room._

_This time, she realized that she was the one that screamed._

_A fire. A burning, scorching, searing blaze was quickly spreading through the house and had gotten up to her room. Flames were licking at her bedroom walls and nipping at the expensive throw rug on the floor. The girl of almost ten years old jumped out of bed and frantically ran for her bedroom door. She had to get her mother and father if they were still asleep. Her tiny hand gripped the doorknob and it had burned her skin, the metal branding her. Letting out a cry, she cradled her hand and tears escaped her eyes._

_"Cassandra! Cassandra!" Her mother was calling out to her, but she could barely hear it over the crackling blaze._

_"Mama! Mama, help me please!" She cried back and banged her uninjured hand on the door. Turning over her shoulder, she sobbed seeing that her room was burning around her. She was trapped with no way of getting out._

_"Mama! Papa!" A young Cassandra shrieked. Smoke was filling her lungs, so she rushed to the window and pushed it open. She peered over the windowsill and gulped, the jump down was too far and she'd never make it. There were some families from town that were pouring buckets of water on the fire and she saw her mother sobbing with her hands over her face. Her father was consoling her, holding her in his grasp and rocking her back and forth._

_"Papa! Mama!" Young Cassandra called to them and their heads snapped up to see her waving to them._

_"Oh, Joseph!" Her mother fainted, falling into the arms of her sister who had come as soon as she heard about the fire. Cassandra's father bolted back inside the house and the young girl moved away from the window. Cassandra then ran to her bed, reached under and pulled a covered pan out from underneath. During the winter months, the maids would fill the pan with hot coals and place it under the blankets to keep her warm. She made her way back to the door and using all of her strength, she brought it down on the door handle. Once, twice, three times and it finally broke off. She pushed the door open and saw that the bottom floor of her home was a burning inferno. The front door was wide open and all she had to do was get to it. She very carefully was making her way down the stairs, avoiding pockets of flames that were eating away at the wood under her feet. An ember grabbed onto the fringe of her dress and she batted at it, but in her effort to douse the fire, she missed a step on the stairs. Her body hit the steps, the wood beating against her bones and bruising her skin. She tried to scream, to alert to someone that she was falling, but her voice was silenced when she hit the floor with a loud thud._

Cassandra shot up from her sleep and whipped her head around wildly. The fire was gone, the smoke was gone and her younger self was gone. Sighing heavily, she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and bunched the blood red sheets around her; the deep color reminded her of the burning embers from her nightmares and she chose to push them aside and her flinched from touching the sheets.

Damon's groan next to her made her turn to look at him. He was still asleep with just one foot in a semiconscious state. "'Lena's fine. Go back to sleep." He mumbled tiredly. She had been up with Elena because she was having constant nightmares of Stefan. Damon would feel her getting up all throughout the night to check on her and he could hear them talking in hushed tones down the hall. Cassandra didn't reply and he didn't feel the bed shift, so he opened his eyes to see that she was sitting up with her legs pressed against her chest. Leaning up on his elbow, he scooted closer to her.

"Hey," He skimmed the back of his hand down her arm soothingly. "You've been up with Elena all night. Go back to sleep."

Cassandra shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. "I had a nightmare."

Intrigued and slightly worried, her husband peered up at her. "About?"

"When I was little, there was a fire in my house. I haven't dreamt of it in years, but tonight I did." She mumbled, her fingers toying with the red sheets. "It was like I was reliving it. I can still feel the heat on my skin."

Damon sat up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. His lips caressed her temple, placing little kisses here and there. "You never told me about a fire."

"It happened when I was young. I just remember waking up and the whole house was in flames. I barely got out alive." Cassandra leaned into her husband's strong embrace, finding such comfort in his arms. "It was just eerie that I dreamt of it now after almost two hundred years."

"Between you and Elena, I don't know who is worked up more," he joked.

"I think we're tied for first. Once we find Stefan, I think things will get better." She said. "Then again, we'll have to tell him that he's going to be an uncle soon. _That_ will go over well."

The vampire turned his head and kissed along the top of her head. "Speaking of, how are you feeling?"

"I feel fine." Cassandra's fingers traced the defined muscles of his abdomen. Thoughts of her nightmares drifted away into nothingness and she hummed happily. "Just exhausted. Now I know how you feel after being up with me for all hours of the night."

"Well," Damon quickly rolled them over so he hovered above her, a coy smile painting his lips. "I know a way for you to fall right to sleep."

Raising her eyebrow with a crooked smirk, she bit her bottom lip. "Oh yeah? Enlighten me."

Damon shifted closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her lightly. His hand danced down her body to grip his aching member while the other spread the petals of Cassandra's flower. He rubbed himself up and down her slit and occasionally his cock would give a nudge to her clit. He kissed her passionately, his tongue brushing her bottom lip.

Gasping and shuddering, she leaned her head back. "Of course you think of sex."

"But it works every time." Damon murmured lustfully and Cassandra climbed on top of him, settling herself just over his morning wood.

"I can certainly testify to that." She giggled, positioning the head of him at her entrance and started to push him inside her wet sex.

"Guys! We have a-whoa!" Elena was now standing in the doorway, a hand over her eyes. "Ohmygosh! I am so sorry."

Growling, Damon eased Cassandra off of him, keeping her covered with the blankets and he glared at Elena and Katherine who were standing in the doorway of their bedroom. "This couldn't wait?"

"What's stopping you?" Katherine raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't mind a show."

"Hate to break it to you, Katherine, but if you were to watch us, your human heart would probably stop." Cassandra smirked and Katherine seemed all the more intrigued. "Or explode."

"Is that a promise?" She grinned.

"Katherine!" Elena chided.

"What? You go without vamp-sex for two months and let me know how that works out for you." The other brunette glowered and Elena's face fell. "Then again, with Stefan gone, you're not getting any sex."

"Look, can we just tell them what we saw?"

"Yes, can you please tell us, so the two of you can get out of our room?" Damon grumbled.

Elena took a readying breath and exchanged a side glance with Katherine. "Well, the two of us dreamt of Stefan."

Damon's blue eyes passed between them incredulously. "You're kidding right?"

"We both had the same exact dream and we think we know where he is." Elena continued.

"Think? I know exactly where he is. "Route 29. Joe's bar." Husband and wife traded weary glances with one another before Damon flopped back down onto the bed and buried his head beneath the pillows.

So much for enjoying a lazy afternoon.

* * *

"So, I've found 9 bars along Route 29, and none of them are called "Joe's"." Damon said and walked into the living room. He and Cassandra had gotten dressed and where coming up with a battle plan to find Stefan.

Elena toyed with Stefan's daylight ring between her fingers. "I had a feeling that there was something wrong all summer, and I ignored it. But I was right, Stefan was in a safe, and probably killed whoever it was that found him...I know it sounds crazy, that I'm following some psychic dream, but it's the only lead that we have."

"It doesn't sound crazy—it _is_ crazy." The vampire quipped.

"But we're open-minded." Cassandra interjected while sipping a blood bag.

"Shotgun!" Katherine announced as she traipsed into the room. Six pairs of eyes snapped onto her form and she shrugged. "What? I get carsick in the back seat. Another charming, human side effect you stuck me with." Her accusing gaze landed on Elena.

"Please tell me that she's not coming?" The female vampire growled.

"Trust me, I have no interest in Katherine's well-being, but for some reason Silas wants her real bad, and if Silas wants her, then we want her more." Damon defended.

"Can't we just stash her in the cellar? Or maybe a deep, dark well with a pair of water wings?" Elena suggested.

"I'm down for that. We do have that safe that Stefan was locked in." Cassandra added with a smirk.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Do you really think that I wanna take a road trip with you, America's most boring, self-righteous vampire? Just remember, Damon wouldn't have to play bodyguard if you hadn't shoved that cure down my throat."

"You were trying to kill me!" The young vampire hissed.

"I will admit, though, I take great pleasure knowing that you wasted your one shot at a human life on me." Katherine grinned and Damon stepped in between the two girls.

"All right, play nice, or I'm gonna revisit the deep dark well idea." He told them firmly.

"The safe is better." Cassandra sang melodiously. "At least we can't hear her in the safe."

"I wanna find Stefan just as much as you do, and not just because I don't wanna be a pawn that you can trade off for his life. I care about him—I always have. And since we've been having the same dream...makes me think you care about him just as much." Katherine and Elena held each other's intense stares, these two women both cared about Stefan and it was clear that they both wanted them back safe and sound.

With an exaggerated sigh, Damon took Cassandra's hand, leading her outside. "Okay, train's leaving the station. Choo-choo!"

"I am dreading this road trip." Cassandra groaned and Damon opened the front side passenger door.

"I'd rather be backed over with the car." Her husband mumbled and gestured for her to slide inside. "My lady."

"Good sir." Cassandra smiled widely and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before climbing into the car.

"Hey! I said that I called shotgun!" Katherine whined as she walked over to the car with Elena in tow.

"Sorry, Katherine, but the wife gets first dibs." Damon called and hopped into the driver's seat.

"Just because she's pregnant?!" She shouted and Cassandra leaned back against the seat. Damon blew air between his lips as Katherine's constant whining drifted into their personal space.

"Just don't blame me if my anger gets out of control and I start choking her till her face turns blue." Cassandra warned him.

"Take a number." Her husband smirked, put the key in the ignition and his car revved to life.

* * *

_I've never seen a diamond in the flesh._

_I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies._

_And I'm not proud of my address in a torn up town. No post code envy._

_But every song is like gold teeth, Grey Goose, tripping in the bathroom, bloodstains, ball gowns, trashing the hotel room._

_We don't care. We're driving Cadillacs in our dreams._

Cassandra let her head bob to the beat and she hummed along with the song playing from Damon's radio. They were driving for two hours and Elena hadn't given them any indication that she'd seen the bar that they were looking for. The hybrid was staring aimlessly out the window when she felt Damon's hand on her thigh. She turned to see that he was gazing at her out of the corner of his eye and a slight blush tinged her cheeks.

"Eyes on the road, Damon." Katherine chided from the backseat.

"Zip it, Katherine." Cassandra smirked at her in the reflection of the mirror. "We could always leave you on the side of the road."

"Yeah, but then Silas would get to me in seconds." The human countered and both husband and wife groaned.

"Damn," Cassandra muttered.

"You sure you know what you're looking for? Last bar had a red awning and a neon sign." Damon looked at Elena through the rearview mirror.

"I'll know when I see it." The vampire replied.

Katherine made her presence known by popping her head out between the seats, her elbows resting on Damon's and Cassandra's seats. "Me too."

Damon scowled. "Didn't ask you."

"I'm just trying to make conversation." She shrugged and settled herself in the backseat next to Elena. "So, Elena, I couldn't help but overhear. You've been dreaming about Stefan all summer? That must be really stressful on a new relationship, especially when you're having those kinds of dreams while you're getting ready to go to college."

Elena shook her head. "They weren't dreams. It was just a bad feeling, like something wasn't right with him."

"Oh, no, yeah, sure. I totally get it. But if you loved him, wouldn't you have followed the urge through? I mean, that's what I would have done." Katherine boasted and Elena's jaw clenched tightly.

"Ignore her, Elena," Cassandra sighed tiredly.

"As soon as the vervain's out of her system, we'll compel her and we'll put her on mute." Damon added with a grin.

Katherine went back to her previous position. "Or maybe Stefan's been trying to reach out to you all summer, but you've been too distracted with college to help him, so he reached out to the person that he trusts—me." Elena gave a long, suffering look to Cassandra who caught it in the mirror and just shook her head.

"Nah. You're probably right. Elena and I had the exact same dream on the exact same night. Why would that mean something?" The human then turned her attention to Cassandra. "So, how's the bun in your supernatural oven cooking?"

Cassandra tossed Katherine a particularly disgusted look. "You're just as annoying as a human as you were a vampire."

"I'm just asking a question. Besides, I wonder how Stefan will react when he finds out that you two decided to leave town just because you got knocked up."

The hybrid turned herself in her seat so she and Katherine were facing each other. "For your information, we were trying to get some answers."

Katherine looked pensively at her. "For two months? And how did that work out for you?"

"Katherine," Damon growled, seeing that she was upsetting his wife.

"Whatever." She sat back next to Elena. "Like I said before, Stefan can only count on me because his girlfriend, his brother, and his knocked up sister-in-law had better things to do than worry about his well-being." Every other presence in the car was silent, Elena crossed her arms and stared out the window. Damon kept his eyes on the road and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Cassandra passed a hand over her stomach as her eyes began to droop.

"You're exhausted." He noted and she yawned. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you when we're there." Cassandra simply nodded and leaned her head against the window and let the movement of the car on the open road rock her to sleep.

* * *

_Joseph Emerson dodged another flaming board that had fallen from the ceiling as he made his way back into the house. He had seen that Cassandra was still in the house, so he rushed back in to get her out. His little girl, he swore that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, even if he died in the blaze, he'd be damn sure that his little girl was safe. He could still hear his wife screaming outside for Cassandra and he pushed on further, batting the veils of smoke that clouded his vision. He called out again for his little girl and he heard her through the roaring inferno. She was still up in her room, so he made his way for the staircase but his heart stopped when he heard a sickening crack against the hard floor. Running towards it, he sobbed seeing Cassandra lying limply on the floor. He darted to her side and scoped her up in his arms, cradling her close to him._

_"Papa is here, sweetheart." He cooed softly to her and he felt her shift in his hold. Before the flames could consume them both, he made his way back through the house, but the boards creaked beneath him. He fell to the floor, his knee smashing the wood and he cried out in pain. He still held his daughter in his arms and it took quite a bit of effort, but he got himself to his feet. He hurried out the front door where his wife and other frantic family members were anxiously waiting._

_"Put her down here, Joseph!"_

_"Is she breathing?"_

_"Stand back!"_

_"Give her some room to breathe!"_

_"Send for a doctor! Hurry!"_

_Orders were being shouted from anyone and everyone who felt like they had some kind of say in Cassandra's health. Muffled voices and blurry images passed through Cassandra as she fell in and out of consciousness and her eyes were barely opening. She could feel someone touching her hand, her fingers flexed delicately and the touch on her hand grew stronger. They were squeezing firmly while a pad of a thumb rubbed over her skin._

_"Please, my beautiful girl. Open your eyes." Josephine begged with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Cassandra."_

_"Cassandra, Mama and Papa are here. You are safe. I promise." Her father pleaded, ignoring the thrumming pain in his knee. The girl stirred, moving her head slightly to the side and she gave a pained groan._

"Cassandra!"

Her eyes immediately fluttered open and she leaned up abruptly, smacking her head against Damon's who had been trying to wake her up.

"Ow."

"My nose." Damon groaned, prodding the bone that she'd easily snapped. It did heal quickly, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"I'm sorry. Another nightmare." Her chest rose and fell with each harsh breath and Damon gazed upon her strangely. It was unusual for her to have such frequent nightmares, twice in one day was an anomaly. He helped her out of the car and closed the door very quietly.

"Wha-" Damon pressed a single finger against her lips and he shushed her. He jerked his head to indicated that Katherine was sleeping against the window. Nodding, Damon removed his finger from her lips.

"Are we really just gonna leave her in the car?" Elena whispered.

"Uh, yes!" Cassandra chimed in. "Did you seriously just ask that question?"

"Exactly. The only time she shuts up is when she's sleeping, and I didn't want to disturb our peace and quiet." Damon added and interlocked his fingers with Cassandra's. They were just at the front door of the bar when they realized that Elena wasn't following them.

"I thought you said this was the one." The male vampire peered over his shoulder.

Elena nodded slowly, her eyes scanning the red awning and neon sign that haunted her dreams. "It is. It looks exactly like it did in the dream.

"Okay, so let's go." Cassandra gestured for the young vampire to follow.

"Isn't that a little freaky?" Elena's nose scrunched up.

"Yeah. It's a lot of freaky." Damon interjected and Cassandra looked to Elena who was unsure of her brand new dream ability.

"Come on, let's go see if Stefan's inside." Elena's frown still rested on her face, but she tagged along behind the couple. The bar was desolate with no one in sight except for a blonde haired female bartender. The three of them sat at the bar and the woman walked over to them.

"Can I get you something?" She asked while cleaning an empty glass with a damp rag.

"Yeah, sure." Damon drummed his fingers against the bar before looking to his wife. "Ladies first."

Cassandra grinned and leaned over the counter, reading the girl's name tag and catching her gaze. "What happened to your neck, Jo?"

Jo answered without hesitation, her entire body language seemed to shift as she recalled the traumatic events of what happened to her. "Some sicko attacked me, bit me, told me to run, so I did, and when I looked back, he was on fire."

Elena's stomach churned and she nervously tapped her foot on the edge of her barstool. "The sun must have come up. He doesn't have his daylight ring." She whispered to them both.

"And then what happened?" Cassandra's pupils dilated again, gauging more answers from the bartender.

"Some woman shoved him into a truck, drove away." She replied.

"Did you know this woman?" The hybrid asked.

Jo shook her head. "No. She was driving Cam Peterson's truck. He lives about 10 miles down that dirt road out back."

"Well, it's a start." Cassandra sighed and patted her husband's thigh. Jo cast a glance to Elena who was moping about and she took three shot glasses and set them on the bar.

"Here. Look like you could use one of these." Jo beamed warmly as she poured liquor in each glass. Cassandra wrinkled her nose and politely pushed the shot back to Jo.

"Sorry, I'm not drinking." The bartender went to take the shot back, but Damon quickly caught her wrist.

"I'll take that. Thank you." He smiled charmingly at Jo and tossed the shot back, however he quickly started gagging and coughing. The insides of his mouth and throat burned violently, the sizzling sound of muscles disintegrating made Cassandra nearly want to vomit. She sniffed the empty shot glass and the stench of vervain penetrated her nostrils.

"Vervain." Damon coughed hoarsely and Cassandra patted his back.

"What did you do?" She hissed at Jo how was quickly becoming more and more terrified as the events around her unfolded. A woman entered the bar from a back room and pointed her gun at both Damon and Cassandra. Elena hopped off her stool and held her hands up in surrender; this part wasn't in her dreams. She'd never seen her before. Her caramel and honey colored hair was draped elegantly over her shoulders and she adjusted her hold on the dangerous weapon in her hands.

"I told her to pour him a drink or I'd kill her." The woman spoke with a clearly foreign accent.

Damon's teeth clenched inside his jaw and he stood in front of his wife protectively. "Who the hell are you?" Before the armed woman could answer Katherine strolled through the front door of the bar. No one said anything and Katherine had suddenly realized that she had walked right into a war zone.

"Which one of you is Katherine Pierce?" The girl asked.

Katherine pointed at Elena. "She is."

The woman kept her gun aimed at Katherine, a pensive look on her face. "Katherine is a compulsive liar." Her smirk grew and she pointed the gun at Elena. "But I need her alive."

Cassandra lunged for the woman, shoving her back into a table and knocking the gun from her hands. "Girls, run!" Elena turned on her heel, grabbed Katherine's wrist and rushed out of the bar while Cassandra held the woman down.

Veins speckled the skin beneath the woman's eyes and she took Cassandra by the shoulders. "I should kill you."

Cassandra's eyes matched hers as she felt her anger taking over her again. With a hard thrust of her head, she smashed her skull against her captor's. Now that she was stunned and disoriented, the hybrid was able to pin her down to the ground. "Who are you?"

"Get off me!" The woman writhed around.

"Answer me and I'll make your death quick." Cassandra snarled and gripped her neck, her fingers digging bruisingly into her skin. "Let me guess, you're one of Silas' little friends? When I see him next, I'll tell him that your head is hanging on my wall!"

In a sudden rush, Cassandra was thrown off by the woman and she crashed into the liquor shelves behind the bar. The hybrid groaned, the alcohol soaked through her clothes and the glass sunk into her skin and hair. Her eyes met those of the assassin who cocked her gun at her, but Damon had joined in the fight. Taking the girl by the shoulders, he threw her against the bar, hissing and snapping his teeth at her. She swiftly stabbed him in the stomach with a syringe filled with vervain and she managed to get Damon off her. She disappeared from the bar using her vampire speed and Damon rushed to Cassandra, taking her hand and helping her to her feet.

"Wonderful. Now we've got a vampire bounty hunter to deal with." Damon checked his wife for any other injuries, but the small cuts and minimal bruises were quickly healing before his eyes.

"Damn, Czech bitch." She dusted off the remaining pieces of glass with Damon's help. "She's most definitely working for Silas if she wants Katherine."

"What's the game plan?" He asked her.

"I'll go chase after her. You find Stefan." Cassandra replied simply and sidestepped her husband.

Damon reached out to grab her hand, stopping her from leaving. "Wait, what? No. She almost killed you."

"Yeah I know, so I'm going to kill her." She glowered and squeezed her husband's hand. "Damon, Stefan's hurt. Find him." Cassandra moved to pull away, but his grip on her hand tightened.

Damon shook his head, conflicted with himself. "Wait. No. Stop. Just wait." Cassandra knew that she had to go after the woman that attacked them, but the look on Damon's face made her worry. "Any sign of trouble you let her go, you understand me?" His blue eyes were pleading with her to take his warning seriously because this new threat was not one to be trifled with. "I don't care how bad Silas wants Katherine. She is not worth a hair on your head." Damon cupped her face and tucked some of her wild curls behind her ear as if to illustrate his point. "You got me? Okay?"

"Yes," Cassandra nodded breathlessly.

"Promise me." He implored.

Cassandra smiled warmly. "I promise."

"Good, now kiss me." Damon pressed his lips to hers to seal the deal and Cassandra was smiling like a damn idiot. Her husband sure knew how to make deadly situations all the more romantic. Pulling back from her, his thumbs caressed her cheek bones. "I love you. Now, go."

Cassandra kissed him again. "I love you too." Husband and wife parted ways, hoping deep down that the other would be safe on their journeys.

* * *

Damon hadn't been walking for long when he tuned his vampire hearing in on a person weakly groaning. He followed the noise, zoning in on it until he reached a wooden cabin somewhere in the woods. He saw the truck that Jo had described earlier and figured that this had to be the right place. He checked his phone, seeing a message from Cassandra saying that she hadn't come across Katherine, Elena, or the Czech bitch as she kindly put it and he replied that he had found a cabin just a few miles off from Joe's bar. The vampire sniffed around, recognizing his brother's scent coming from just beyond the door, so he approached the cabin warily, his ice blue eyes searching for anything that could pose as a threat. Finding nothing, he pushed the door of the cabin open, stepping in carefully and sighing in relief to see Stefan bound to a chair. Alright, so it wasn't the most ideal position to find his brother in, but it was better than nothing.

"Stefan. You couldn't call a brother?" Damon said and his brother's eyes lifted to meet his.

"Nice to see you, too, Damon." He greeted weakly.

"What the hell is going on here?" His brother asked, looking at the herbs on the floor that circled around Stefan.

Stefan sighed tiredly. "Well, Silas' ex-girlfriend decided to come back from the Other Side."

"Qetsi-whatever?" Damon scoffed and worked at trying to get his baby brother out of the vines that were so tightly wrapped around him, however each touch brought him pain. The vines nicked his skin, making him bleed.

"It's Qetsiyah." Tessa's voice boomed as she stood behind Damon. She cast a glance to Stefan. "Do you see why I want to change it?" Damon ignored the girl and flinched as his fingers came into contact with the sharp vines. "You won't be able to break those vines. The spell won't release him until I get what I want."

Damon finally looked at the woman, eyeing her warily. "Well, I guess the rumors are true. You are a ray of sunshine. Question — why is my brother wearing your compost pile?"

"I'm going to link Stefan to Silas. Casting a spell on his doppelganger will neutralize Silas' mental powers. Once he's weakened, I will force him to take the cure." Tessa explained and put down her basket of herbs that she'd been carrying.

Damon's eyes narrowed at the two thousand year old witch. "Well, that's a great idea, force the cure down his throat. The cure is gone. Done. Ingested."

"Katherine, you mean?" Tessa raised an eyebrow and Damon's nose wrinkled. "I'm aware of her condition and I'm also aware that your wife, Cassandra, is pregnant."

Stefan's head lifted hearing that. "Wait. Katherine took the cure and Cassandra's...pregnant?"

"We have a lot to catch up on, Stefan." Damon told him.

"Your wife, she's a tough thing." The woman stated matter-of-factly. "She will protect that child of yours even if she has to die for it. Want to know if you should paint the nursery pink or blue?" She asked with a sarcastic smirk.

"No, thanks. I'd rather be surprised." The vampire countered with a sly wink.

"Hmm, Cassandra won't let me see anyways. Too protective, her guard is always up." Tessa shrugged uncaringly and squinted her eyes. "Where is Katherine? She was supposed to be with you."

A look of realization dawned upon Damon's face. "Wait a minute. What do you mean supposed to be with me? Did you plant those dreams?" Tessa smirked knowingly and walked over to the fireplace with a bowl in her hands. "What is it, some kind of, like, witch party trick?"

"So, where is she?" She dodged his question.

"We ran into a little snag." The vampire told her.

Tessa gave a shrug. "Then I'll get started without her." She began to chant over a bowl and Damon started taking small steps away from her.

"Okay, well, thanks for the hospitality, but we should really get going if we want to beat traffic." It was a lame attempt to lighten the dismal mood in the room.

Stefan nodded, his eyes drooping closed. "Yep, yep. He's right."

Tessa's eyes flew open and she glared at Damon. "Probably don't want to get on my bad side."

"You realize you're not the only one with a bad side, right?" The blue eyed vampire challenged.

Tessa's head tilted to the right slightly, sickened by his very gall to try and dare her. "Aren't you brave? Without Silas' mental powers, he is an immortal nobody. We can defeat him. Isn't that what you want?"

"Just do it, all right?" Stefan called and Tessa smiled, finally getting the okay. "Just get it over with. Do it."

* * *

Fall colored leaves and brittle branches crunched under Cassandra's boots as she weaved through the tense brush and tall trees in the forest. Katherine's scent was nearby, but it was fading as she stepped further into the woods while Elena's scent was close nearby. Picking up her pace, she broke into a run and the forest zipped by her, messes of greens and browns all meshing together.

Suddenly, she was struck in the shoulder by a bullet flying past her and she crumpled to the ground. Cassandra gritted her teeth, hissing as she lifted a hand to extract the bullet when she caught a glance at the woman who had shot her. It was the assassin from the bar and she had already reloaded her gun, the barrel aimed at Cassandra. She didn't even get to pull the trigger since a wolf had come out of nowhere and tackled her to the ground. With this advantage, Cassandra zoomed away, keeping her eyes peeled for Elena. She didn't question why a wolf would save her from danger, but she was glad that the animal had intervened.

Cassandra came across Elena who was leaning up against a tree with her hands massaging her neck and a pained expression screwed up on her face. "I...I lost her. Katherine's gone."

"It's okay." Cassandra helped the young vampire to her feet. "As long as you're safe."

Elena smiled wholeheartedly at the hybrid, but gasped seeing Cassandra shoulder being torn open. "What happened?"

"That crazy bitch shot me." She groaned and examined the wound. A sting of pain traveled down Cassandra's arm as the bullet pushed its way out on its own. Elena watched in awe while Cassandra remained speechless. The bloodied bullet fell to the ground and the hole in her skin closed up as if it was never there.

"What the hell was that?" Elena asked and plucked the bullet up from the forest floor.

"I...I don't know. I normally heal fast, but not that fast. And a bullet certainly doesn't just 'fall out' of a wound." Cassandra passed her fingers over the healed skin.

"Maybe it was a bad shot?" The vampire suggested.

Cassandra shook her head, grimacing at the blood that stained her shirt. "No, she was shooting to kill." She held her hand out for the bullet and Elena gently placed it in her palm. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. It was just a normal wooden bullet. "There was a wolf that saved me."

"A wolf? Like a werewolf?" She wondered.

"Had to be. It didn't look like a wild one and by the way it attacked her, I' sure that it was a werewolf." Cassandra said definitely and tossed the bullet away. "Well, let's hope that it ripped her head off." Elena giggled and the hybrid's phone beeped. In the hustle and bustle of things, she heard it ring, but she was too busy to answer it.

_Found a cabin a few miles from Route 29 in the woods. Meet me there when you're done. Please be careful._

"Looks like Damon found something. Let's go." Cassandra pocketed her phone and both girls shot off through the woods.

* * *

Tessa had continued to chant with her hands on either side of Stefan's head. The circle of herbs burst into flames and Stefan began to writhe, groaning and grunting in pain. All Damon could do was watch since his brother had agreed to be Qetsiyah's test subject.

"What are you doing to my brother?" Damon's blue eyes were fiercely trained on both Tessa and his brother.

"I'm frying Silas' brain. No one said it would be pretty." Tessa focused her concentration harder, pressing her fingers into the sides of Stefan's head. The vampire groaned out in pain, literally feeling his brain disintegrating in the witch's hands. Trails of warm blood spilled from his eyes and down his cheeks, making his elder brother's panic level skyrocket. Stefan cried tears of blood for the next few second and then his head lolled back, eyes falling closed and he slipped into unconsciousness. The herbs on the floor sparked once more before completely burning out, nothing but the rancid smell remaining.

Damon stepped forward now, unable to deal with Tessa's torture any longer. "All right. We're done here."

"You're right." Tessa nodded. "We're done. It worked." The raven haired vampire kicked the burnt herbs aside and took his brother's head in his hands, shaking it slightly.

"Stefan! Stefan! Stef!" Each call of his brother's name did nothing to rouse him. Damon then looked to Tessa who looked strangely calm during all of this. "Whatever you did to him, undo it."

"Relax. I just burned through his conscious mind. He'll wake eventually." She replied. "You sure you want to take him home? You and Cassandra were doing so well without your guilt getting in the way." Damon hissed to himself, wishing that he could tear Tessa's head from her shoulders. He snapped the vines that held Stefan to the chair and they fell away, unraveling and falling to the floor.

"Spying on us from the Other Side?" He questioned and Tessa scoffed loudly.

"Don't flatter yourself. It was like watching a soap opera, except boring and with no volume control." She leaned up against a table in the center of the room and watched as Damon discarded of the vines. "You know, there was one thing worse than being on the Other Side and watching Silas resist the cure."

"Oh, yeah? What was that, realizing that your plan totally sucked?" Damon threw her a sarcastic wink.

"Century after century, I watched versions of Stefan and Elena find each other, like magnets, always the same story. Conquering all, falling in love. You didn't think your brother was Silas' first shadow? Destiny has been trying to get the doppelgangers together forever." She explained, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What's your point?" The vampire mumbled uncaringly.

"You were meant to fall in love with Katherine." That made him stop his busy work and lock eyes with Tessa. What the hell was she talking about? "And then Elena, but someone else got in the way."

"What do you mean?" Damon asked and Tessa stared knowingly at him. His expression shifted to one of confusion, his blue eyes were wide. "Cassandra?"

Tessa nodded slowly and walked towards the vampire. "History has a very strange way of repeating itself, Damon. Destiny would continue to get the doppelgangers together, but there was always one person who was left with a broken heart. With Silas and Amara, I was that broken heart. To keep balance, nature made sure to continue the pattern for centuries and it worked quite well until September 13th, 1841." Damon knew that date; he'd be an idiot if he didn't. For two hundred years, that date had been ingrained in her brain.

_Cassandra's birthday._

"Ever since Cassandra was born, the Universe has been trying to get rid of her because it knew that she would interfere with nature's balance." Tessa continued.

Damon gave her an incredulous stare. "Look here, Miss Crazy, why don't we just dial down the destiny talk a notch, okay?"

"You don't want to hear it, but the universe is working against you." Tessa growled.

"If you're trying to downplay your reputation as being a psychopath, you might not want to say you're spokesperson for the universe." Damon countered.

Tessa sighed sadly, her dark gaze running over the defiant vampire. "You and I are the same; the ones that are never meant to find true love. Silas had his true love, and Stefan has Elena. We're merely the ones who will live our lives as heartbroken, lovesick fools longing to have that fairytale ending."

"You talk a big game, but maybe if you actually had some proof that she wasn't meant to be here-"

"The fire in 1851 would be the first one that she would remember. That explains her recent nightmares. Why don't you ask her who or what caused that fire. I'd be curious to see if her answer matches mine." Damon gulped nervously, Tessa had a way of knowing everything and it was playing on his last nerve. Anxiety rose as Tessa's evidence was beginning to stack up against him. "Any other attempts, she was too young to recall. In fact, I remember standing over her crib when she was just a baby." Tessa let her fingers slide aimlessly along the edge of the table near her, as if pretending that it was a bassinet. "She was sound asleep, such a precious little thing. So innocent and pure." Damon kept silent, allowing Qetsiyah to speak. "I wrapped my hands around her tiny little neck-"

The vampire had tackled Tessa, pinning her to the wall and snarling wildly like an animal. The thought of Tessa strangling a baby, his wife when she was a baby sent him over the edge. Blinded by his anger, he went to bite her, but she held a clenched hand in front of his face. His brain boiled and he clutched his head, backing off from the witch.

"Unfortunately, my plan didn't work." Tessa sighed once Damon was away from her. "Just think about it, Damon. Remember when she died when Klaus was 'killed?'" She placed air quotes around the last word. "Well, she was supposed to _stay_ dead."

"Yeah? And what happened?" The vampire hissed, shaking the extra pain from his head.

Tessa threw Damon a dagger filled glare. "She's been a little stubborn."

"Well, that's my wife for you." Damon admitted proudly.

"The attempts won't stop and especially with that child growing inside her. It's putting the both of you in danger." She said.

Damon pursed his lips, letting a thought of his swirl around in his head for a moment. "Since you are just a wealth of information, let me run this by you. You know the rules of nature and let's face it, I can't procreate; my body isn't wired to do that. So, here's my question, how is it that Cassandra is pregnant by someone who can't procreate?" It was a question that had nagged him ever since they found out that Cassandra was pregnant. He doubted it for a long time, in fact, a piece of him still did. It just wasn't possible. It didn't make sense. It wasn't plausible. He struggled and wrestled with the very thought that inside Cassandra's womb, there was a child. A living, breathing thing which would then turn into a crying, screaming baby after it was born.

Tessa watched as doubt infected Damon's features. He was afraid, happy, anxious and unsure all at the same time. She knew the answer to Damon's question; oh did she have a bomb to drop on him. "Cassandra's pregnancy is another attempt at nature trying to reset itself."

"Reset itself?" He repeated.

Tessa nodded and picked up a flowery herb from her basket. Her fingers walked along the petals before plucking them off the stem one by one. "Like I mentioned before, there have been many failed attempts to kill off Cassandra, but this one...this one might just be the one to pull it off." Damon's heart sank as each poison laced word fell from her lips and each dead petal fell to the floor.

"Are you trying to tell me that the only reason she is pregnant is because it's the Universe's way of trying to kill her off?" His voice was strained, breaking at certain places as he spoke.

"Whether it be her own child or someone else, she will die as a result of this pregnancy." Tessa's words shattered everything inside Damon. He felt the blood leaving his face and limbs, literally becoming boneless and numb before her. Eyes welled up with tears, but he blinked them back, refusing to shed any tears in front of this vile woman.

"No," the vampire hushed.

"Do you believe me now, Damon?" Her question barely reached him and he turned to face his brother who still hadn't moved. This whole pregnancy was just a ploy to kill of his one love. All of the happiness that he felt was shot down, crashed and burned.

"So, what are you suggesting?" He questioned.

"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm just telling you the inevitable." She stated simply.

"And what about my brother?"

"I'll keep Stefan safe." Tessa murmured, watching Damon's eyes.

"You have a bad track record with men." Damon snapped, coming back to himself.

"I want to keep him safe. Now that he's linked to Silas, Silas can't mess with our heads, and you'll be free to prepare yourself when Cassandra's life is taken from you. Take it from a woman who's had front row seats for 2,000 years." Tessa grumbled bitterly.

Damon swallowed the lump in his throat. Maybe he didn't have to say anything to Cassandra about this. She was just so happy and he didn't want to ruin it for her. "No one would have to know?"

Tessa shook her head, her dark eyes gleaming evilly. "No one has to know."

The raven haired vampire paused, seeming to think it over for a few moments. "Or you could just go back to hell." He reached forward, grabbing Tessa's throat tightly and she narrowed her eyes. With a strangled breath, she chanted in a foreign language and the blood vessels in Damon's brain began to explode and rupture. He released her and using her magic, Tessa threw Damon to the wall and he collapsed to the floor. His vision blurred, black spots forming and his head spun wildly.

The door to the cabin flew open and Elena and Cassandra bolted inside. Each ran to their significant other; Elena tried to rouse Stefan while Cassandra crouched down to Damon.

"Stefan! Stefan! Hey! Oh, no. Stefan, hey." Her hands caressed his blood stained face, but not even her soothing touch could wake him up. "Stefan, can you hear me? Stefan! Wake up. Oh, god."

With Cassandra's help, Damon pulled himself to his feet and she sat him down in one of the spare chairs that was angled out of from the table. "Hey, what happened to you?"

Damon's steely eyes caught the blood on Cassandra's shirt. "I could ask you the same question."

Picking at her shirt, she shrugged it off. "I'm fine. That bitch nicked me. What happened here?"

"I did." A voice made Cassandra whirl around and all of the breath left her lungs when she saw a woman standing there that she had seen before, but not in the physical world.

"Qetsiyah." A hushed whisper left her lips and Damon's eyes flicked nervously between the two women.

"Hello Cassandra." Tessa greeted dully.

Elena then whipped around on the new woman who introduced herself. "What did you do to him?!"

Tessa didn't reply, she held up her hands with her fingers clenched. Each supernatural being in the room let out a scream as Tessa's magic was giving them aneurisms. With them disabled, Tessa disappeared from the cabin, never to be heard from again.

* * *

Elena held Stefan's hand in hers, interlocking their fingers together while he was laid out on the sofa. He still hadn't stirred, but Elena hadn't left his side since she found him. Sighing deeply, she fished his daylight ring from her pocket and slipped it on Stefan's finger. She interlocked their fingers, squeezing lightly and hoping that even though Stefan was unconscious, he could feel that she was there. Damon and Cassandra watched quietly from the archway of the room, their anxiousness rising with each second that Stefan remained asleep.

"I guess Qetsiyah made me forget that I saw her on the Other Side." Cassandra sighed. "I remember seeing Bonnie's grandma, but Qetsiyah...I didn't recognize her until I saw her."

"Do you remember what she said to you?" Damon wondered, his own conversation with Qetsiyah was still haunting him since the entire ride home.

She shook her head, leaning her head against the wooden doorway. "No, I...when I think about it, my mind comes up blank." They saw Elena take Stefan's hand and kiss the back of it. She whispered something to him and placed his hand over her heart.

"At least he has his daylight ring." Cassandra murmured to her husband, not wanting to speak to loud and ruin Elena's time with her boyfriend that had been missing for the entire summer.

"We're all set for a picnic." Damon breathed and removed himself from the archway to go into the kitchen. Cassandra followed him and opened up the fridge, looking for a snack.

"He's lucky he has a brother who looks out for him." She said sweetly and moved some items in the fridge around. "I'm hungry. Do you want something to eat?" Damon didn't answer aside from giving a short grunt. She turned and closed the fridge, immediately picking up something from him.

"You're suspiciously quiet ever since we left." She stated and rounded the island to meet him. "Tell me what Qetsiyah said back at the cabin." She knew that Damon just wasn't right, something about him was off.

"She told me that you and I will never work." Each word stabbed him in the heart and it hurt worse saying it than just thinking it.

Cassandra gave him a curious look, her brows furrowed. "And what does she know about us? Does she not know that we're married and expecting a child?"

"Well, she told me a very interesting little story about the history of doppelgangers and how they're fated to fall in love with each other. But there's a catch with that, there is always one person who ends up with their heart broken. That person is supposed to be me." He explained.

"But, I don't-"

"And it didn't happen because you came into my life. You...you weren't meant to exist." The vampire pinched the bridge of his nose. "Basically, the universe programmed me to never find you and the universe has been trying to get rid of you since we're not meant to be together. We're a lost cause."

Cassandra took in each word, letting it all sink in before speaking again. "The universe?"

"Her words, not mine." Damon smirked.

"So, you're saying that she's crazy?" Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest.

"Maybe. Maybe she's not." He shrugged. "What started the fire in your house?"

"It was just a fire, Damon."

"But what started it?" He asked again.

His wife was silent for a few long moments. "They...they don't know. It just happened."

"Exactly. That's what Qetsiyah was talking about. When you died...she said that you were supposed to stay dead." Damon spoke. "Nature has been trying to keep itself balanced. Qetsiyah also said that our child is another attempt to reset itself."

Cassandra swallowed her words, unable to piece her own thoughts together to express how she was feeling. She looked down at her stomach and placed a hand there, rubbing softly as if trying to calm her fears that were running rampant in her mind. How could it be that she was never meant to come into existence and that she was never meant to start a life with Damon? Her heart clenched and she propped her elbow on the marble island.

"Damon, we chose our own destiny and I don't regret a single choice I've made. Each choice we've made has brought us to this very moment and I don't care about what Qetsiyah has to say. It's all a load of complete bullshit!"

"Cassandra—"

"How dare she tell us that we aren't meant to be and that this baby is just a way for the Universe to kill me? I'm not listening to a word she says."

"I know, Cassandra." Damon agreed, but she hadn't caught on to it.

"So, you mean to tell me that you're going to let some two thousand year witch tell you that we're not meant to be?!" She asked incredulously.

"No."

Cassandra stared back at him, a blank look in her eyes. "You're not?"

Damon shook his head and took a couple of steps towards his beloved wife and grasped her hands in his. "Who cares what Qetsiyah says. No one tells me who I should love and I'm not gonna let someone else's idea of destiny stop me from loving you or being with you or building a future with you, because from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that I wanted to spend my life with woman and one woman only. That woman is you, Cassandra." He lifted up her left hand, exposing her ring finger for the both of them to see. "This ring is my promise to love you forever. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us do us part. Like you said, we write our own destiny and we make our own choices." His blue eyes flicked up to meet hers and her heart fluttered wildly in her chest just like the first time she met him all those years ago. Their love was stronger than anything else they have ever experienced and it challenged all struggles and obstacles that it went up against.

"Damon," she hushed quietly.

"I love you and I will fight for you and I will fight for us because you are my life." The way he looked at her, the way his voice broke when he spoke, the way his hands were holding hers. Everything together was making Cassandra's heart soar to unbelievable heights.

Cassandra had tried to hold back the tears that were forming, but they streaked down her cheeks with reckless abandon. "I love you too. I'm yours, Damon. Forever." The vampire smiled and his hands cupped her cheeks, thumbs brushing her tears away.

"Are you crying?" Amusement colored his voice.

"Shut up. Don't make fun of your hormonally pregnant wife." She kissed him on the mouth and he smiled against her lips. Damon's hands found her waist, pulling her body closer to his and Cassandra nipped at his bottom lip. Her hands weaved through his black hair, the soft fibers caressing her fingers. She pinned him against the refrigerator and pulled at his hair.

"Cass," his soft whispers caressed her lips.

"Make love to me, Damon."

"You are mine tonight, principessa." _[You are mine tonight, princess.]_ He kissed her again and she moaned wantonly, her arms wrapping around him. Her short nails soothingly scratched his scalp and he purred as his hands roamed all over her supple curves.

"Stefan?" The two broke their kiss hearing Elena speaking to her boyfriend that had just woken up from his slumber and Damon groaned audibly.

"My brother has the _worst_ timing in the world." He said into the crook of his wife's neck and she chuckled amusedly.

"Come on," she took his hand and led him into the living room where Stefan was sitting upright on the couch and Elena was hugging him tightly. "Hey you."

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Damon greeted.

Elena moved back from her boyfriend, but was a little weirded out by the odd expression on his face. It was completely blank as if he was unsure of what to say. With wide eyes, he focused on each person's face and concentrated hard only to find nothing.

"We missed you so much, Stefan." Elena beamed and expected to see him smile back at her or at least acknowledge his own brother and sister-in-law, but he didn't.

"Stef?" Cassandra called and the green eyed vampire shook his head.

"Uh, I'm sorry...I—I have no idea who you people are."

* * *

**AN: I apologize for the late update! Things with school are getting crazy, but I hope that all of you are doing wonderful :) So, Cassandra was never meant to come into existence because Damon is supposed to never find true love. They've conquered the impossible and all of the Universe's attempts to break them apart, but their unborn child is another attempt. Will they come out on top or will the Universe succeed in it's plan? Please read and review :D**

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**xoxobianca13: Thanks for reviewing! Klaus and Giuliana are definitely hot together and it's interesting when Klaus gets upset that Marcel wants to pursue her. Hayley's and Giuliana's relationship is getting a lot better because they both understand that they are kinda stuck together in the middle of the war between Klaus and Marcel. And now that Elijah is gone (I miss him so, so much!) they have to help each other. I'm glad that you enjoyed the flashback! I felt like I needed to add a little more depth to Klaus and Giuliana's relationship. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**SomebodyWhoCares: Oh, poor Elijah :( He's always getting stabbed in the back...or front...or whatever. Thanks for reviewing!**

**xJenzaFreakx: Hi there! I am so glad that you love this and my other stories! You rock! Damon and Cassandra being pregnant will certainly be an adventure, but I can't wait to see how the rest of the season will play out and how I am going to integrate my own characters into the story. Klaus and Giuliana are hot together ;) I think with Elijah, he's kinda scared of getting his heart broken again by another woman. Katherine pretty much used him and stomped on his heart :( I totally agree with your opinion on Rebekah! Hayley is Hayley, I guess, but I did enjoy her when she totally wolfed out on those men who tried to kill her. I have a little more respect for her. I actually kinda like Marcel because he adds that little bit of tension to the show and to the story too! All is well in RL, just crazed with school! Hope all is well with you too :) Thanks so much for reviewing!**

**grapejuice101: Thanks for reviewing, girl! Yeah, a new love triangle is definitely forming.**

**Daisy96: Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm glad that this is your favorite story! I try to add as much depth and detail to my OCs. I really do love writing even though it is just a hobby. It's hard to decide who Giuliana should be with. Hmm, Klaus, Elijah, or Marcel?**

**rosa: Thank you for your review! I will try to add more scenes with Klaus and Giuliana in the upcoming chapters :)**

**Nymartian: There is a lot of sexual chemistry between Klaus and Giuliana, but they genuinely do care for each other. Marcel will definitely try to move in on Giuliana in the 'Tangled Up in the Blue' chapter and Klaus won't really take that well. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for reviewing!**

**TruffleWomenz: I was thinking of splitting the two stories as soon as season 4 ended, but I think that people will get confused with the inclusion of Giuliana in New Orleans. Plus, there is no 'The Originals' category on fanficiton yet. I also want to keep them together because there will be a potential crossover and there have already been some crossovers. If you would like, you could skip The Originals chapter. I hope that you enjoyed this update and thank you for reviewing!**

**Seira asami: I screamed at my television when Klaus said that he gave Elijah to Marcel. I just want Elijah to grace my television screen in his dashing suit ;) I really do feel bad for Rebekah because all she wants is a drama free life with someone to love. Hayley and Giuliana are quickly becoming friends because they felt stranded by Elijah, so they know that they have to take care of each other. I want Niklaus to take back his empire, but Marcel certainly won't make it easy. Thank you for reading and reviewing! Hmm, there might be something between Hayley and Elijah on the show, but I will kindly write that out ;)**

**shippolove844: I totally agree with you that Damon and Klaus are very much alike. I keep thinking back to the abuse that Klaus received from his father and although it was never shown on the show, I think Giuseppe beat Damon. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reviewing!**

**Guest: You read right, Damon hasn't had sex in 3 months and he is really, really horny ;) Hopefully he'll get to enjoy his wife again since she is starting to feel better! I am so glad that you enjoy my story and my own little twists! Hope that you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reviewing!**

**MysticEyesx: Wow! Thanks so so much for your 6 reviews! You're awesome! I'm glad that you think that this story needs more recognition and I do hope that it will get more :) I am very thankful and so blessed to have the incredible readers/reviewers that I have and this story has nearly hit 100 reviews in like 6 chapters. I hope that you enjoyed this update! I personally think that the doppelganger/true love storyline is interesting to say the least, but I think that I put my own little twist on it to make it my own. I really hope that people enjoy it :)**

**ghg: Thanks so much for reviewing! Right now it is between Klaus/Giuliana and Elijah/Giuliana. It will be interesting to see what will happen when Elijah wakes up :)**

**Rose1324: Thank you for reviewing! Here is your update and I hope that you enjoy it :)**

**nickiR0x: Hey girl! I'm sorry for keeping you waiting! I have been on pins and needles with classes, (a 25 page research paper in particular) but I've been okay! Hope all is well with you and thank you so much for reviewing :)**

**rosa: Thank you so much for reviewing! I hope that you enjoyed this update! Elijah and Giuliana's relationship will be explored in the next few chapters! Please be patient :D**


	8. Tangled Up in the Blue (TO)

**Bloodlines**

**Chapter 6: Tangled Up In The Blue (TO)**

**Beta:**** PrincessOfSilence - seriously, she rocks! Go check out her incredible work!**

**Disclaimer:**** I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.**

* * *

A pair of green eyes ran over black cursive letters, small hands clutching a thick, leather bound book. Her fingers could make out the branded 'M' on the cover, but she was much to enchanted by Elijah's penmanship to really notice it. In a room nearby, Giuliana could hear Rebekah and Klaus talking, but she only lifted her head when Hayley sat down beside her.

Anything interesting?" The wolf wondered.

Giuliana shook her head and buried her eyes back in the mess of old pages worn by time. As she read the words, she could hear Elijah's voice in head and it brought her comfort to make believe that he was here and not locked in a coffin, a possession of Marcel's.

_August 1359._

_I have noticed a difference in my siblings. Our bond strains beneath the pressure of our life as vampires. Each day removes them further from the humanity we once possessed. My sweet sister, Rebekah, has grown quite indifferent to brutality. However, the true problem remains my brother, Niklaus. He continues to hide his loneliness with cruelty. Still, I cling to the hope that I, as their eldest brother, can lead them down the correct path, a path charged with the power of a family united. For if I fail, our family's legacy will end in darkness._

Giuliana cradled the book in her lap and ran her fingers over his words, feeling the very emotions pouring from the Original. She couldn't imagine his guilt, his helplessness as he watched his sibling descend into darkness. Elijah had always been the peacemaker in the family, but on more than one occasion he found himself wondering why he'd taken up that liberty.

"I cannot believe you disposed of those vampires without me. You know how I love to set things on fire." The girls heard Rebekah whining from inside the other room and they just silently rolled their eyes. She was always whining or complaining or doing both at the same time.

"Was I supposed to leave them in the front yard to rot? Besides, they were my responsibility. They attacked the helpless pregnant girl who's carrying my child." Klaus countered and Hayley gave a scoff under her breath.

"Now he acts like he cares," she grumbled.

"Well, he does have a point," Giuliana stated.

"And what's going to happen after I give birth to this baby?" The wolf crossed her legs underneath her. "You heard Rebekah, he'll stick me in a box like he does with the rest of his siblings."

"I won't let him do that." The ex-hunter shook her head and closed the heavy book. "He has no reason to kill you and when Elijah gets back-"

"You're talking as if Klaus will get him back. You should be saying if Klaus wants Elijah back." Hayley corrected.

"Well, I won't let Marcel keep Elijah. I don't care if I have to get on my hands and knees and beg for him back." Giuliana said.

"And somehow I think Marcel would like that." Hayley smirked. "Come on, I've heard all about how he's trying to make you his queen from the Original sibling duo."

"I'd do whatever it took to get Elijah back. He doesn't deserve what happened to him. All he was trying to do was help his brother."

Hayley made a sound of distaste with her lips. "Yeah, and look where that's gotten him." Giuliana frowned at that and her head snapped up hearing Klaus and Rebekah bickering about something.

"Let's break them up before Klaus puts his only sibling he has left in a box." Both girls got to their feet and wandered into the main room where Klaus and Rebekah were standing at opposite sides of the room.

"Oh, I am so moved by your newfound sense of fatherly duties towards the werewolf carrying your hybrid bun in her oven." Rebekah rolled her eyes and Hayley cleared her throat to get their attention.

"The werewolf would like to know what the plan is." She announced.

"Yeah, me too!" Giuliana hugged Elijah's journal to her chest.

Klaus turned his attention to the girls. "Well, that depends what plan you mean, love: My plan for global domination, or Rebekah's plan to find love in a cruel, cruel world." Rebekah smirked evilly before grabbing a sharpened pencil from the desk beside her and threw it at her brother as if it was a spear. Klaus managed to catch it easily, just a millimeter from impaling his face.

Giuliana tapped her foot impatiently against the floor. "No, we're not talking about either of your plans. We're talking about getting Elijah back. You know, the one who is now in the possession of your mortal enemy after you stabbed him in the back."

"In the front, if we're being specific." Klaus corrected and Giuliana scowled at him.

"So is there a plan, or what?" She asked.

"Okay. Well, firstly, Marcel is not my mortal enemy—he's my friend, albeit one who is unaware that I'm trying to sabotage his hold over the supernatural community of the French Quarter, but a friend nonetheless." Klaus stated. "And secondly, I daggered Elijah in order to gain Marcel's trust. If I had known he would place my brother in the hands of a particularly nasty teenage witch, I certainly would have weighed my options a bit differently. And thirdly, sister, please." Brother looked to sister who quickly jumped in.

"And thirdly, the plan, as you have demanded, is for Niklaus to simply ask Marcel for Elijah back."

Hayley's gaze shifted between the siblings, unsure to completely take their word. "That's...that's not the whole plan, is it?"

"Please, Klaus may be a miserable excuse for a sibling, but there is none more diabolical." Rebekah glowered.

Klaus plopped himself in a plush chair, crossing his legs and propping his elbows on the arm rests. "And that's only the Plan A, love. There's always a Plan B."

"And what, pray tell, is Plan B?" Giuliana questioned and she watched Klaus's lips pull into a sly smirk.

"War."

* * *

"I don't understand why I have to go to this party." Giuliana huffed, tossing yet another ornate gown aside. Klaus and Rebekah had recently dropped the bomb about it being mandatory that Giuliana attend a gala that Marcel was holding later tonight. Naturally, she wasn't thrilled to be in the presence of the king of the Quarter, but she knew that if she played her cards right and got in good with Marcel, that it would Klaus in his negotiations to get Elijah back. "I normally stay home with Hayley."

"I told Niklaus to get a witch to babysit. Try this on." Rebekah handed her one of her old gowns and she took it up in her hands, pressing the fabric against her body to measure it.

"Rebekah...how do you expect to get me into this dress?" She asked. It was much too small, Giuliana wasn't even sure if she could get it up her body.

"It's a corset. Of course it will fit." The blonde Original replied with an air of confidence.

Giuliana grimaced as Rebekah yanked and pulled at the corset strings. She slowly watched her figure get smaller and smaller with each tug and her breaths were becoming shorter and shorter. It was a beautiful gown, Giuliana had to admit that. Rich hues of blue wrapped around the corset and full skirt. White trim framed the bust line and collar, accentuating the open neck and exposed skin of her collarbone. The dress had no sleeves, only some fabric draped over the shoulder and it was meant to hang off of it. It was a dress fit for a queen and Rebekah thought of herself as nothing less. Giuliana gasped a strangled breath when Rebekah pulled again and she could have sworn that she could see black spots behind her eyes.

"Rebekah, this dress is beautiful, but-"

"It will fit. You just have to play around with it." The blonde cut her off when the doors opened behind them.

"Still playing dress up, little sister?" Klaus grinned at Rebekah's futile attempts to tie the back of the dress.

"Well, it would help if she would have a little confidence in me." Rebekah pouted and let the strings hang loosely.

Giuliana's shoulders slumped and she placed a hand on her midsection. "I would have more confidence if you weren't trying to break my ribs."

"Oh, don't be such a crybaby." She whined and turned on her heel with the intent of finding more dresses that were stashed in the upstairs closets. "Nik, mind tying the knot for her?"

"You know me, Rebekah. I'm much more experienced with taking off a corset rather than tying one." Klaus smirked widely, making Giuliana glower at her reflection in the mirror. With an exaggerated sigh, Rebekah left the room and Klaus chuckled seeing Giuliana try to reach her hands around to grasp the strings.

"Look, I don't care how you do it, just get this torture device off me." She pleaded and he walked to stand behind her.

"My sister is quite offended by your lack of appreciation for vintage fashion." Klaus tsked.

"I lived in a time without corsets, so you can probably imagine as to why I don't understand how women would subject themselves to gowns like these." She said.

"You're not seeing the big picture, love." His eyes ran up and down her figure, taking in how stunning she looked in the dress.

"I doubt that you know anything about women's fashion unless it's about how fabric looks on the floor." She jeered and finally grasped the strings, but she froze feeling Klaus's hands clasp hers.

"You might have been born in that era, but you play the part quite well." He said into her ear and he felt her grasp on the ties loosen. "The corset could be attributed to Catherine de' Medici. She placed a strict ban on thick waists in court attendance."

"Well, she quickly turned into be the most disliked person in the castle." Giuliana murmured.

Klaus chuckled, his warm breath ghosting over her neck. "Perhaps, but they helped to make the waist appear smaller, more aesthetically pleasing to the eye." A hand was placed at each side of her waist, his fingers passing over the long strips of whalebone that kept Giuliana's already lithe figure in place. "And to accentuate the feminine curves of a female figure." His hands then moved down her body, following the curve of her hip and Giuliana felt her skin burning up through the thick fabric and hard bone. If was to be touching her bare skin, she was afraid of her entire body to become set aflame. It was remarkable how after so many years his touch managed to still have such an effect on her. He invoked such passionate emotions from deep inside her and sometimes it scared her that a person had so much power over her.

Her body leaned into his involuntarily, as if being drawn to him and their eyes locked with one another's in the mirror's reflection. "And what about the fact that I can hardly breathe? Does that add to the aesthetics?"

"You can't breathe because of the dress or because of me?" The light stubble on his chin scratched against the shell of her ear, making her shiver. She knew that she walked right into that one and she cursed herself for being so vapid.

"Maybe it's a mix of both." She murmured coyly.

Klaus ran his lips over the shell of her ear and he held her gaze in the mirror. "I want you to be careful tonight."

Nodding slowly, she cleared her throat. "I will. Keep in mind you're talking to an ex-hunter. I still have my abilities." Even though she was relieved of her hunter abilities, she did have the very unique ability to turn her blood into a poison should the wrong person bite her.

"That's not the point, love," he said. "Marcel's vampires will be everywhere and if anything goes wrong tonight-"

"Everything will go according to plan." She told him.

"I don't want you getting hurt." That shut her up and she remained silent in his hold. One of his hands left her waist and gently touched the side of her cheek, his long fingers skimming along her jaw line. Her already scarce supply of oxygen depleted even more with him touching her like this. Again, she felt her skin heating under his hand and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Ever so slowly, he tilted her head to face him, so their eyes met directly and not through the mirror. Sky blue and forest green orbs flicked between soft lips, daring the other to test the line that they had drawn for one another. Giuliana's heart hammered away inside her chest, her skin was warm to the touch and a subtle blush colored her cheeks. The Original hybrid could hardly tear his eyes away from the sight of her. Her reactions to his touch, her raw emotions, her desire all screamed at him. Everything about her was so beautifully human, it reminded him how carefree he was when he was human. Faces drifted closer, lips just on the verge of touching, of giving in to the forbidden passion that they had denied one another for so many years.

"Hands off, brother." Rebekah snapped as she traipsed back into the room. "She's my doll to dress up, not yours." Giuliana broke away first, her already blushing cheeks flowering a deeper shade of red. Klaus hadn't moved too much, instead he smirked and gripped the strings unbeknownst to Giuliana.

"My apologies, sister. I was just giving your little doll a lesson in fashion." He explained, winding his hands in the ribbons.

"Oh?" The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"I was just telling Giuliana that back then," he suddenly gave a hard tug to the strings, making the girl gasp and brace her hands on the frame of the mirror. All of the breath had been knocked out of her lungs as the bone tightened around her and she struggled to breath. Klaus threw her a smirk in the reflection of the mirror. "Corsets were meant to be tight." With that, he took his leave and if Giuliana could move, she would have chased him down and strangled him with the corset strings. Rebekah quickly rushed to the girl, snapping the corset before her ribs broke and it fell to pieces in a heap around her feet.

"I...am going to...to kill your brother." She gasped, not even caring that she was standing in her lingerie.

Rebekah's teeth clenched as she threw down more dresses over the back of a chair. "Join the club. Come on, try another one."

"Wait, can I at least go shopping for myself?" Giuliana suggested. She was tired of trying on vintage gowns. Granted, they were all beautiful, but she wanted something a little more modern. "I'll only be out an hour. Please?"

The blonde tilted her head, thinking it over, a pensive look across her face. "Fine." She huffed.

Smiling, Giuliana gathered her clothes and threw them on. "You won't be disappointed."

* * *

Donned in a black gown and a black suit, Rebekah and Klaus entered the gala arm in arm. Marcel had truly outdone himself with the party. Acrobats performed on raised platforms that were staged throughout the room, dancers hung from the ceiling on curtains of fabric, twisting and turning seductively, and exotic animals were on display, executing tricks from the commands of their handlers. Glittered confetti rained upon entering guests and people on the dance floor. Klaus took in everything, this gathering easily trumped any party that Carol Lockwood would have thrown.

May she rest in peace.

Klaus dusted off some glitter from his shoulder, watching it flutter to the floor. "Well, this certainly is a fitting backdrop for tonight's events, I must say." Rebekah nodded, agreeing and both of their eyes spotted Cami at the bar. She was dressed in a vintage white beaded gown with a pair of angel wings strapped to her back. An angel in a room of devils. "What is she doing here?"

"I made a friend, Nik." Rebekah grinned and fixed the feather arrangement that was strategically placed in her blonde up-do. "And I wanted her to come."

"She is not part of the plan, Rebekah." He hissed lowly.

"I'll keep her away from everything." She stepped on the tail end of his words before looking around the dark room. "Where is Giuliana? She said that she would be here."

Klaus was going to answer, but his words were lodged in his throat seeing Giuliana make her way into the room. Her body was wrapped in black beaded lace with some see through panels on the sides. Her strong shoulders and arms were exposed with the crisscross top that acted like a choker around her neck. It fit her perfectly, the fabric hugged her natural curves better than any old corset could have done and the bottom fanned out a slightly, swishing across the floor as she walked. Her hair was blown out and worn loosely hanging over her shoulders, her highlights really showing especially under the dim lighting. Green eyes were surrounded by smoky eye shadow and her lips were painted ruby red. A vision; a very sinful one.

Rebekah's gaze followed her brother's and her face somewhat fell. "Well, I'll be damned. She actually pulled it off."

Giuliana crossed the room, ignoring the up and downs that she received from passing vampires and spotted the Original siblings. She noticed that while Rebekah looked rather pleased in her dress choice, Klaus's expression was unreadable but his eyes didn't leave her form as she made her way over to them.

"You're late." Rebekah chided sternly.

"You look beautiful too, Bekah." Giuliana smiled and looked to Klaus who seemed like he was at a loss for words.

"You look...ravishing." He took her hand in his and kissed the back.

"You clean up nice, Klaus." She nodded.

"Well, you two can chat." Rebekah stated. "I need booze." She quickly left them to greet Cami and Giuliana took a second to glance at the dark atmosphere around her.

"This is one hell of a party." She whistled.

"Marcel is just showing off." Klaus scoffed and they both turned hearing some people chattering loudly with the man of the hour. He was dressed in a suit, playing the part of Gatsby quite well. "Speak of the devil."

As if sensing his sire's presence, Marcel turned his head and his confident gaze softened once it landed on Giuliana's form. He excused himself from the conversation he was having and greeted Klaus with a firm handshake and hug.

"Looking sharp, man." He grinned.

"You don't look half bad yourself." Klaus said and nudged Giuliana forward with a hand at her lower back which was exposed as well. Taking a quick glance, he saw that the entire back of the dress was open, just stopping above her behind. "And you already know me friend-"

"Giuliana." Marcel finished, his eyes never leaving hers. "Wow. You look stunning."

The girl smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Thank you. This is a great party."

"Well, thank you. It is more of a work thing, but I'm glad that you could make it." He grasped a glass of champagne for her from a passing waiter and handed it to her. "I hope that my friend has been taking care of you." That comment was directed towards Klaus, but he let it roll right off his back.

"He is behaving himself surprisingly." Giuliana noted before taking a liberal sip.

"Well, don't be fooled, love. I'm the devil in disguise." Klaus smirked.

"We all know that." She countered, making Marcel chuckle.

"She's a witty one, Klaus." He said and Klaus nodded, catching Rebekah's glance from across the room.

"Pardon me for a moment." The hybrid left rather quickly and Giuliana frowned that she was now left alone with Marcel.

"So, what changed your mind?" The king wondered curiously.

"Rebekah." She jeered. "But, listen, if you have to tend to your guests than please do. I can annoy Klaus all night."

Marcel's lips pulled into an amused smile. "And leave you alone, looking the way you do? Hell with that."

* * *

Klaus's hand tightened around his glass yet again as he watched Giuliana giggle at one of Marcel's witty remarks. While this was all part of the plan to keep Marcel distracted, Klaus could feel envy ebbing through his veins. Rebekah roughly elbowed his side in an effort to get him to relax.

"Knock it off." She hissed. "This is what you wanted, right? Marcel is distracted and all you have to do is wait." So far, the plan was being executed perfectly with no hiccups. Klaus had sent his newly turned nightwalker, Joshua, to a pillaging with Marcel's other night walkers where he's blend in nicely. Klaus had compelled another vampire, one that he had kept alive the night that Hayley was attacked, and commanded him to attack a witch in the Quarter. Not just any witch, Thierry's girlfriend, Katie. Since the newly turned vampire couldn't fight off the compulsion of an Original, he bit Katie in the neck, sending Thierry into a blind rage. He killed the vampire that hurt his girlfriend and that would mean that he broke one of Marcel's rules. His sentence would be death as soon as Marcel found out. Klaus knew that it was a clever way to get Marcel's right hand man out of the way and his tracks would be completely covered. The next part of his plan was to have Sophie swoop in to console a hysterical Katie to cast a spell against Marcel and his vampires to save her boyfriend. Katie naturally agreed and Sophie would perform a locator spell at the same time to find where Marcel had hidden Elijah's body. It was full proof, what could go wrong?

"So, I thought you said you were in community work." Giuliana said as she danced with Marcel.

"Community fundraising. Throw a party, folks open their wallets. It's kind of my thing. Guess I'm what you call a necessary evil." Marcel explained.

"Hmm, very interesting." The girl hummed and he twirled her elegantly. She was actually having a nice time with Marcel. He wasn't as pompous as she thought, however she had yet to see how he would react to the news that his right hand man killed another vampire.

"I have to ask." He adjusted his hold on her, his hand curling around her hip. "How does a delicate little thing like you get tangled up with the Originals?"

Her nose wrinkled and her red lips twisted into a smirk. "Delicate? Ouch, that one hurt a little bit." Giuliana was not a vampire, but she would hardly call herself delicate or fragile.

"I didn't mean delicate. I meant human." Marcel shook his head, correcting himself.

"It's a really long story." She pouted.

"Look, I've spent this entire evening talking about myself." He pulled her much closer, their chests touching. "I want to talk about you."

"Fine. Since you asked so nicely." She grinned. "I was born in Italy and a band of vampires attacked my town. They killed my brother." Well, the story wasn't completely wrong; she just left out Kol and decided to pin the murder of her brother on some ruthless vampires.

Marcel frowned. "I'm sorry."

The girl just nodded, not wanting to bring up Alexander again and start sobbing. "I ran like hell and they were closing in on me, but Elijah was there. He saved me."

"Elijah's a good guy." The vampire said and now it was time for Giuliana to act a little bit. She made a sound of distaste and rolled her eyes. "Was it something I said?"

"Well, I came here with Elijah and he promised to watch over me while we're here, but he just left without a goodbye." She pouted. Maybe since Marcel took a liking to Giuliana, he'd be a little more willing to give Elijah back. It was a reach, but one that she was prepared to make. "It's not like him to up and leave."

"I'm sure that he'll be back soon." Marcel assured her and he happened to catch Klaus talking with Cami across the room. "And what about Klaus?"

"He's a beast. What about him?"

Marcel tsked at her. "Hey, come on. That's my sire you're talking about."

"That's true, but he has a habit of making me want to kill him." She laughed. "Just this morning he tried to choke me with a corset."

"I can see that since you're standing here looking as gorgeous that you do that he failed miserably." He noted.

"Was that a compliment coming from the king of the Quarter?" She smirked.

"Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't." He countered slyly, quoting the times she toyed with him.

"Now you're just playing my game." She gasped when he dipped her suddenly and brought her back up, their faces impossibly close now.

* * *

A twinkling of a wind chime in her attic room made Davina sink even more into her comfortable bed a serene aura surrounding her. She enjoyed times like these when she could be alone with her peaceful thoughts. Her hand waved leisurely, controlling the music from the chime and she let her eyes slowly drift closed. Her peace was shattered, however, seeing a pair of green eyes in the back of her mind. Focusing on them, she created a picture of the woman that they had belonged to and she pushed boundaries even further, seeing that Giuliana was dancing with Marcel. Something about her just didn't sit right with Davina and she hopped out of bed, silencing the wind chime with a sharp flick of her wrist. Picking up a black marker, she ripped a piece of paper off the easel in the corner of the room and immediately started drawing. Eyes squinted and hands moved frantically across the page as Davina drew, from her memory, a portrait of Giuliana. Her anger rose with each strike of the marker against the paper and she feared for Marcel. She was afraid that this woman would hurt him, the one person that was protecting her. Soft curves and hard lines appeared on the page and Davina took a step back when she had finished. She'd never met Giuliana in person, but from the memory of Marcel's mind, she was able to recreate her face. The witch let the marker drop to the floor and her hands clenched as her lips begun to chant hushed words. The lights in her attic room flickered on and off while a wind tossed papers around, she focused her magic and Giuliana and getting her away from Marcel.

* * *

A sudden sharp pain gripped Giuliana's head and she backed away from Marcel's advances. It came again in a short burst before dying out again, but it was worse than the last one. She let go of Marcel and placed a hand on her forehead. He was a little insulted at first, but he quickly saw that she was in pain.

"What's the matter?" He asked concernedly.

"It's nothing." Another intense hit, making her skull ache and she groaned quietly. "I think the champagne is going right to my head."

Klaus watched from afar as Marcel placed a comforting hand on Giuliana's shoulder. With raised eyebrows, he was unsure of exactly what was making her shy away from Marcel so suddenly. The entire night, Marcel had charmed his way right into her heart, but she was now turning away from him. A look of pain was strewn upon her face and a hand at her head made his eyebrows knit together. A witch? Perhaps Katie's magic was affecting her? His blue eyes checked the clock on the wall. No, it's a little too early for Katie to arrive, but it also could not have been Katie because the other vampires in the room would be affected as well. The hybrid was ready to leave from his post at the bar to whisk Giuliana away from Marcel, but he halted seeing Diego make his way through the crowd. He was another one of Marcel's night walkers and he certainly looked like he had quite the burden to bare as his gaze was set on Marcel. Making his way through the crowd, he lightly tapped Marcel's shoulder, making him back away and unhand Giuliana. Marcel was ready to snap Diego's neck for interrupting him, but he then learned about Thierry's indiscretions tonight.

"My cue to leave." Rebekah disappeared from her brother's side to assist Sophie in the locator spell and Klaus watched everything

"Marcel, is everything alright?" Giuliana asked him as she watched the vampire's anger rise. He whipped around to see Thierry standing there, his head down in shame and Marcel growled under his breath before looking to Giuliana again.

"Excuse me." He left her alone on the dance floor and caught Thierry by the neck, dragging him away from the party. Thierry's face was screwed up in pain as Marcel's hand squeezed roughly and Giuliana turned away from the sight, shielding her eyes.

Klaus was quick to join her side, a hand at her lower back. "Get home now before things get bad." He nudged her toward the door, but stopped realizing that she wasn't moving. Her eyes were glued on her right hand and a line of blood that ran across the top. He took up her hand and wiped the blood away, disregarding the cut, but underneath the crimson, black marks were lacing across her skin.

The Hunter's mark.

"No..." She whimpered as she bled even more, the ink of the tattoo quickly spread up her arm and shoulder. Like clockwork, all of the vampires in the room had their gazes locked on her, the smell of blood teasing their hunger. Even Marcel had turned away from scolding Thierry to peer down at Giuliana off the balcony.

"What in hell?" Klaus murmured and Giuliana gritted her teeth, hissing as pain was beginning to set in on her arm.

"Get me out of here before they all eat me." Giuliana begged and Klaus shrugged his suit jacket off, placing it around her shoulders to shield the smell and sight of blood from the vampires in the room. There was suddenly a commotion when night walkers rushed from the gala with Marcel leading them.

"Klaus," her weak voice hit his ears and he turned to see that her nose was now bleeding. "What's happening to me?"

The Original hybrid was at a loss for what to do. Blood was trailing down her face and right hand alarmingly and he had known that Katie was causing all of the panic outside the gala. He bit into his wrist and pressed it to her mouth, coaxing her to take his blood to help her heal. She drank small gulps as it partially helped her and the pain went away. Her hand healed up as well and her nose stopped bleeding. Klaus removed his wrist hearing the cries of Marcel's men and Katie's chanting, realizing that his plan had to be executed quickly.

"Klaus, go." She shooed him for the door and he could tell that she was feeling better since she was bossing him around. "I'll be fine. I'll stay here. Just go." He looked conflicted, but getting on Marcel's good side was his top priority now. Klaus disappeared from the gala to handle the witch situation outside and Giuliana's stomach curdled hearing Katie's neck snap loudly.

* * *

"Man, it feels good to be home." Giuliana sighed as she traipsed inside the mansion. Tonight had been eventful to say the least, but she was happy that her wounds had healed up nicely. However, she still wondered who caused her all of that pain. It couldn't have been a witch since Marcel would have known that she was performing magic in the Quarter. Pushing it aside, she rounded the staircase, but stopped in her tracks seeing a pool outside. Hmm, she'd been living in the house for almost a week as she hadn't even realized that the Mikaelsons had a pool in their backyard. Who knew that vampires enjoyed swimming or perhaps it was simply to dress up the backyard, but Giuliana was intrigued. She opened the doors leading to the backyard and sat on the ladder that dipped into the pool, but not before pulling up her dress at to not get it wet. The water was cold, but it did wonders for her aching feet.

A twig snapped not too far off and she whipped her head towards the sound. Standing up and keeping alert, her eyes scanned the area for any threats. Could Marcel's night walkers had followed her home? Low growling sounds within the brush by the pool made her blood run cold in her veins. A wolf emerged from the leaves and twigs, its yellow eyes gleaming in the moonlight. Giuliana had never seen a werewolf before, certainly not this close. She remembered hearing stories when she was child, but she'd never seen one in its true form. It was a beautiful creature, but it looked all the more threatening in the shadows of the night.

A hand was suddenly clamped over her mouth, stopping Giuliana from screaming which she had intended to do. Klaus wasn't home yet, but Rebekah surely would have heard her and come to her rescue. Giuliana fought against her captor, kicking and muffling against the hand that was preventing her from screaming.

"Shh! Will you stop that? It's me." Hayley's voice reached her ears and Giuliana was released from the wolf's hold as soon as she stopped struggling.

"Jesus Christ! Are you trying to kill me or something?!" She hissed.

"Just relax! That wolf isn't here to hurt anyone." Hayley explained. "It was here before and Sabine said that it's protective of me."

Giuliana's wary eyes jumped between the wolf and Hayley. "That's all fine and great, but it was looking at me like it wanted to eat me."

Hayley grumbled some reply under her breath before kneeling, locking eyes with the wolf. "It's okay. She's my friend." The wolf seemed to nod, as if understanding Hayley and it laid down in the brush, propping its large head down on the floor.

"Okay...that was just weird." Giuliana mumbled and tousled her hair, leaving Hayley with her new wolf friend. She went back into the house and wandered aimlessly into one of the rooms and saw Klaus sitting at the piano. His fingers were gliding across the keys; his eyes were vacant, almost lost in thought as he played a haunting melody.

"I didn't know you played." He stopped playing at the sound of her voice and looked up to where she was leaning against the door frame.

"A thousand years is a long time to live, so it's better to pass the time by learning different crafts." He replied.

Giuliana pushed herself off the wall and took a couple of steps towards him. "You mean like drawing and painting?"

Klaus's sky blue eyes met hers and he smiled, skimming the pads of his fingers over the ebony and ivory keys. "Now, that has been a talent that I've always had."

While she walked to meet him, she shrugged off his suit jacket that had still been resting on her shoulders. The sleeve was stained with blood and she wrinkled her nose as she handed it to him. "Thank you for letting me use this. It might need to go to the dry cleaners though."

"No harm done." He took the jacket and draped it over a chair.

"And thank you for helping me tonight." She added. "I don't know what was attacking me, but without your blood, I'd be as good as dead."

"Please, if any of Marcel's men would have went after you, you would have dislocated their head from their shoulders." He told her with an amused smirk. "You said so yourself that you're not delicate."

Her arms crossed over her chest and she tilted her head slightly to the right. "Eavesdropping, are you? That's quite rude."

"I couldn't help it, love, yours and Marcel's conversation was quite interesting." He grinned.

"So, you're jealous then?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nonsense." He shook his head and poured himself a glass of scotch.

"I'll have one too." She pranced over to him and snatched up a glass, gesturing with her smoky eyes for him to pour her some. "Marcel is a charming guy and I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy his company."

"A little too charming." Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Hey," she playfully smacked his shoulder. "There is nothing wrong with being nice. It might get you some friends."

"I have you."

Goose bumps rose along her skin, a shiver tingling up and down her spine. "Yes, you do."

Klaus drummed his fingers aimlessly along the side of his glass. "Marcel promised to give back Elijah."

"What? When?" Giuliana asked, unable to contain her excitement.

"Soon. Because I saved his life from Katie, he has considered giving me my brother back." He replied.

"But it was at the expense of killing someone else." She said.

"You sound like Rebekah." Klaus scowled.

"Maybe that's not so bad. You just killed someone in cold blood who wasn't supposed to die." She fought.

"I did what I had to do to get Elijah back." He growled, towering over her. "You would have done the same thing."

"You really think that?"

"Your brother was a member of 'The Five' and he would kill any vampire that he came across. That very trait was passed on to you, only you didn't fulfill it." Klaus explained gruffly. "You and I are a lot more alike than you would like to think."

Her hand smacked him hard across the face, the slapping sound echoing off the walls. His head snapped to the right, an angry red welt on his cheek, but it healed quickly. Giuliana then brushed right past him, but the same sharp pain from the gala clutched her head in a vice. She cried out and fell backwards, anticipating that she was going to hit the floor, but Klaus caught her. She could hear him calling her name, but she couldn't find the will to speak. Her vision became blurred and she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Marcel opened up the door to Davina's attic room and the tiny witch rushed over to him. Her arms enveloped him, hugging him tightly. She was so worried after tonight that Marcel would have gotten hurt because of Giuliana or the witches, but she used her own magic to give Marcel strength to overcome the witch's spell.

"You're okay! I was so worried." She told him and pulled back, elated that he was fine.

Marcel smiled down at his little witch. "Thank you. Whatever you did, I felt it. You helped me."

"It was the old ones, wasn't it?" Davina asked, her gaze shifting over to Elijah's coffin.

"Actually, Klaus is the one that saved me tonight." He told her and her head tilted to the right. "I'm gonna make things right, starting off by giving him his brother back." He walked over to Elijah's coffin, but Davina stood in his way.

"No." She hissed and Marcel seemed taken aback by her sudden rush of anger.

"What? Davina—"

"No." Davina said again. "You said the old ones were dangerous. I won't give him back until I know how to kill them."

"Look, a deal is a deal. He saved my life and I have to repay him." Marcel explained and loosened his tie. Davina let out a breath, deciding to let go of her anger before it got out of control.

"How was the party?" She asked him, trying to diffuse the situation.

"It was fine, minus the mishap with Thierry and his witch." He grumbled. "But don't worry, that's all taken care of."

"Good. I'm glad." The tiny brunette nodded and Marcel's eyes looked upon her easel. On the pad was a drawing of Giuliana and he glanced between Davina and the picture.

"Did you draw this?" He asked her.

Davina nodded proudly, bouncing excitedly on the tips of her toes. "Yeah, I did."

"Did you cast a spell on her, Davina?" His voice was serious now and Davina's smile dampened a little bit.

"I-"

"Dammit, Davina! You could have killed her!" He hissed angrily.

"I didn't want her to hurt you, Marcel." She tried to defend her use of magic on Giuliana, but Marcel was fuming.

"She didn't hurt me. We were just dancing together." Marcel growled lowly.

"She is dangerous." Davina implored, but the vampire tore the drawing off the easel, crumpling it in his hands. "No! Please, I'm sorry!"

"You are never to hurt her again. Do you understand me?" With each hard word, he ripped the paper, tearing up her image so that Davina couldn't use the drawing again. It didn't stop her from making a new one, but after she saw how angry it made him, she knew that she had stepped too far over the line.

Davina nodded, blinking away the tears in her eyes. "Yes, I understand. I'm so sorry, Marcel. I just got nervous and I didn't want her to hurt you."

Marcel disposed of the paper and looked back to the disappointed witch. She was just trying to help him, she did have good intentions. "It's okay, Davina. Just don't hurt her again."

"I won't. I promise." She said and hugged her savior tightly.

* * *

**AN: Well, things are certainly getting interesting. Marcel still has eyes for Giuliana, but Davina thinks that her intentions are a lot more threatening than Marcel is telling her. Davina's spells do major damage to Giuliana and it looks like the last one was the strongest. Will she die? Will she be alright? Klaus is still very jealous when Marcel even looks at Giuliana, but what will happen when Elijah is released to him? Please review ;)**

* * *

**SomebodyWhoCares:** Damon and Cass always manage to get interrupted :/ Thanks for reviewing!

**VampirePrincess11:** Thank you for reviewing! I agree, screw the universe!

**Shining Ruby:** Thank you for your review :) I am so glad that you love Cassandra as an original character. I agree with you when you saw that Damon deserves the most love because he is a man that can love someone so fiercely, but that love gets shoved back in his face. It will be hard for Damon and Cassandra to accept the fact that their child could be the cause for Cassandra's death, but like other obstacles they have faced, they will not go down without a fight!

**xoxobianca13****:** Thank you for reviewing! I do love Katherine so much because she is really sassy and she adds a lot of her own personality to the episodes even though she isn't a vampire anymore. Defan is the best! I do love their brotherly moments :)

**pannech:** Thanks for reviewing and thank you for your message again! I am so glad that you're enjoying this story so far :) Well, it was intended that Damon would fall in love with Katherine only to have his heart broken in the end when she picked Stefan, so it would have worked, but Cassandra had come into the picture. The Universe totally does suck that it has been trying to keep Damon and Cass apart, but I think that they have done a pretty good job of staying together.

**grapejuice101:** Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, Tessa is one crazy broad!

**nickiR0x:** I MISSED YOU TOO, GIRL! I've got a love/hate relationship with college too, but I will be graduating in May, so I'm almost there! I honestly like the Originals a lot more than I thought that I would. The first couple of episodes were kind of a drag, but I guess that the writers needed to fill in new viewers about everything. I am a fan of the flashbacks though! I mainly watch the show for Damon, (I think a lot of us do, haha!) but the show has completely sucked me in! Basically, the Universe never meant for Cassandra to come into existence in the first place, leaving Damon to fall in love with Katherine to only have his heart broken when she ultimately chose Stefan. It would be the same thing with Elena, but Cassandra was already in the picture. It is really sad that Qetsiyah tried to kill off Cassandra when she was a child, but nature was also doing quite a job to get rid of her. I actually enjoy Qetsiyah a lot. She is completely vindictive and insane, but I love her character and her reactions with Silas. They do remind me a bit of Klaus and Katherine too! Thanks so much for reviewing and I hope that you enjoyed this update :D

**Silently Tearful:** Thanks for reviewing! It is very sad that the Universe created Damon and Cassandra's child only to have it be used as a weapon :( But, like Cassandra said, people write their own fates and make their own choices. She and Damon will work hard to keep their marriage together and to take care of their child. The wolf may/may not be the same one that Hayley saw. It could very well be a different wolf. Perhaps we'll find out who that wolf is soon! Hope you enjoyed the Originals chapter!

**shippolove844:** Thank you for your review! Have faith because Damon and Cassandra have done a good job of staying together even though the Universe has been trying to tear them apart from the very start. Even when they did lose their way, they always managed to find their way back to one another. Very romantic if you ask me :)

**Guest:** Yes, Damon was meant to fall in love with Katherine only to have his heart broken in the end when she decided that she really loved Stefan. Cassandra will know and it honestly won't bother her too much because she knows that Damon will always love her. Cassandra isn't a huge believer in the Universe because she wants to believe in her heart of hearts that she and Damon wrote their own destinies and that eventually brought them together. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed the Originals chapter!

**Guest:** Yeah, Damon is having a reaaallyy hard time getting some lovin' from his wife, but they'll get some time together in the future. I promise ;) Thanks for writing a review!

**Karly:** WOAH?! I'm not that heartless, girl! HAHA! No, Damon definitely is the father of Cassandra's baby. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)


	9. For Whom the Bell Tolls (TVD)

**Bloodlines**

**Chapter 7: For Whom the Bell Tolls (TVD)**

**Beta:**** PrincessOfSilence**

**Disclaimer:**** I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.**

**AN: Hi everyone! I just wanted to take the time to say thank you to every reader/reviewer who has come across my stories. Without your support, I would not be here on fanfiction. You all rock and I love each and every one of you. Hugs and kisses xoxo**

* * *

Cassandra hummed aloud as she busied herself around the Salvatore kitchen. With the heel of her foot, she kicked the door to the refrigerator closed and jogged back to the counter. She added a dash of vanilla to the full bowl of batter and mixed it around, folding the thick substance over itself. She licked the back of the spoon to taste it and she smiled at the sugary taste.

Perfect.

She filled a cupcake tin that was already lined with cups with the batter and slid it onto the tray in the oven. She set the timer and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

She was the only one in the house since everyone was celebrating Remembrance Day. You would speak the name of a deceased family member, ring a bell, and everyone would cheer. Cassandra would have joined in on the festivities, but in celebration of each person's life, a shot of some kind of hard liquor would be downed and since she could exactly drink, Cassandra decided that it would be better to relax home for the day. It wasn't like she minded it, plus she had an incredible craving for cupcakes. Also, if she went to the Grill with Damon, that meant that she would be dealing with amnesia Stefan which was not at the top of her list to begin with. Her phone rang from the kitchen counter and she smiled seeing Caroline's name appear on the caller ID.

"Finally, someone sane to talk to," she joked.

Caroline chuckled wholeheartedly. _"I just wanted to check in."_

"Nothing's changed with Stefan, Care." Cassandra shook her head.

_"No! I'm not talking about Stefan. I'm talking about you. How are you feeling?"_ The blonde asked excitedly. Ever since both girls heard the news, they were like little children at Christmas. They would always call to check up on her to see how she was progressing.

Cassandra smiled and patted her belly. "I'm feeling fine. I've got a little bump, but it's early. I'm only about four months in." Now that she was feeling better, Cassandra had done her research, hoping that this supernatural pregnancy would be somewhat similar to a human one. Her bump was pretty small, but noticeable when she lifted her shirt or wore something tight. Not that Damon was complaining, she would always catch him trying to rub or glance at her stomach.

Caroline squealed happily, practically jumping up and down as she marched down the hallways at Whitmore. _"You'll really start to show soon! Tell me, have you and Damon thought about the nursery yet? As you know, I am one hell of a decorator."_

"Let's take things one step at a time, Caroline. Right now we have to work on getting Stefan's memory back. That's at the top of the list." She sighed and began to clean up the mess she made in the kitchen, placing dirty dishes and utensils in the sink.

_"And how is that working out for you?"_

"Not so good. This new Stefan is driving me up a wall. He's like Ripper Stefan minus the Ripper part."

_"He still doesn't remember anything?"_ Caroline wondered.

"Nope. Damon's tried to help him. We all have. We've been showing him pictures, his diaries. Nothing."

_"There's gotta be something else that you guys can do."_

"Well, until we find such a thing, he will continue to be a royal pain in my ass." She grumbled.

_"What do you mean?"_ The blonde vampire asked.

"Well..." Cassandra trailed off.

_"Sit." Cassandra commanded, throwing her husband in a chair. She straddled his hips and kissed him hard, taking him by surprise. He kissed her back for a moment or two, but broke away, glancing curiously at her._

_"Not that I mind, but why the sudden-"_

_"Because we haven't had sex in almost four months and I'm the horniest thing on two legs." She ripped his shirt to shreds, sending the buttons across the room. Her lips trailed down this side of his neck, her tongue flicking against his pulse point._

_"But, Stefan..."_

_"Is out with Elena and Jeremy is at school. It's just us." She purred in his ear and kissed him passionately. He responded immediately, touching and grabbing at her skin and hair as if reminding himself what she felt like since they hadn't been so intimately joined in months. Damon's hands yanked her night shirt off her, burying his head in between her full breasts which were a little fuller now since she had become pregnant. Teeth, hands, and tongue tortured each peak until they were raw and aching while Cassandra moaned loudly on his lap. She ground her hips against his, feeling his erection just beneath his tight jeans. Her panties were already soaking wet and Damon could practically smell her desire._

_"If you keep doing that, I'm not gonna last." Damon panted, looking up from her breasts._

_"Then we'll have to start all over again, won't we?" She grinned coyly and Damon squeezed her behind, making her squeal. Smirking, he snapped the fabric of her panties and thumbed her clit. Cassandra's head fell back, her wild curls tickling her skin._

_"You have no idea how bad I want you right now." He breathed and toyed with her button. Her hands were on his shoulders, bracing herself as she moved her hips to meet his thumb._

_"Oh God..." She whimpered._

_"It's Damon, actually." He chuckled before tossing her onto the bed._

_Cassandra posed for him, laying on her side with one leg draped over the other. "Come and get me, Mr. Salvatore." She smirked playfully and his eyes glinted with lust._

_Damon suddenly flashed them to the wall, scooping up Cassandra who smashed her lips against his. Her hands fisted his underwear, ripping them to shreds and the tatters fell to the floor. He immediately drove into her slick entrance and Cassandra leaned her head back against the wall. He felt bigger inside her and her walls were clenching around him already. Her eyes rolled around inside their sockets and her nails dug into Damon's back. He had his face in the crook of her neck, breathing heavily as Cassandra hugged his cock tightly. He throbbed inside her and he waited for her to adjust._

_"So tight for me." He growled huskily and moved one hand down to where the two were joined. Her clit, swollen and slick was standing out from under__its__hood and his thumb stroked it firmly._

_"Mo...move! God, Damon, please move!" She begged, her body jumping with random pulses. Her clit was sensitive to the point that she knew that she wouldn't last long. She had already started to crumble around him. Damon slowly pulled out so just the tip was inside her and pushed back in until he was balls deep inside her. He continued this torturous pace for what seemed like forever and Cassandra was ready to lose her mind. The sensations of him stroking her intimate walls were heavenly, but she needed more from him. Her nails shredded at his back going from his shoulder blades down to his lower back and the vampire roared loudly. The skin split and blood dripped down his back before healing over._

_"You could have just told me to go faster." Damon panted as his hips snapped into hers._

_"Oh, shut up." Cassandra breathed and brought his lip to hers in a passionate kiss. He smirked against her lips, taking the bottom one between his teeth and yanking at it roughly. She growled, moving her hips to meet his and she continued to scratch up and down his back, hoping to permanently mark him. Sweat broke out along their bodies, aiding their already frenzied pace as they frantically worked to meet their completions. Damon's hand snuck between their bodies and flicked at Cassandra's clit, making her break the kiss and gasp out. He worked her button hurriedly and her body stilled, paralyzed from the pleasure she was receiving._

_"You're gonna cum for me?" His electric blue gaze held hers and she nodded mutely._

_"Yes! Oh God! I'm so close, Damon!" She whimpered as he continued to thrust into her quickly. They couldn't look away from one another and that made this love making all the more intense._

_"Cum for me, Cassandra. Let go and cum all over me." Her coil snapped, the waves of her orgasm crashing down over her. A shrill, pleasure-filled scream left her throat as her walls clenched tightly around him. Juices dribbled down her legs, soaking both her and her husband. Damon pressed his forehead against hers, holding her gaze as he spilled his hot cum inside her. He twitched around, shaking and trembling against her while they both basked in their powerful orgasms. Sweat dripped over their skin and Cassandra's legs loosened slightly, unable to hold her own weight. She went slightly limp in his hold and Damon was able to hold her up until he reached their bed. Easing her into bed and falling on top of her, he felt her shifting beneath him and Damon tugged her to lay beside him. She traced her fingertips over his chest and he ran a hand down her side. Cassandra was quick to roll them over and sheath him inside her again, taking Damon by surprise._

_"Now, who said that I was done with you?" She grinned and proceeded to bounce on top of him. Damon's hands gripped her tightly, his short nails digging into her skin while she rode him. He could feel himself hardening quickly inside the grip of her walls again and he bucked his hips to meet hers._

_"Mmm, yeah. Just like that." Damon breathed as Cassandra swiveled her lower body, her hips meeting him on each downward motion and she whimpered under her breath feeling herself become aroused once again. Damon's hands tightened around her hips and then trailed to her behind. He squeezed her firm globes and gave a little smack to each, making his wife gasp out._

_"I love it when you do that."_

_Damon answered her with another swats on each cheek and she shivered atop him. "That?" He teased and watched her body slither about._

_"Mmm," she nodded, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. Her fingernails raked firmly down his chest and her vampire growled lustfully._

_Three knocks on the door made the couple growl under their breaths, but the refused to stop. "Damon?"_

_"God dammit- later Stefan! I'm kinda in the middle of something." Damon shouted loud enough for him to hear over Cassandra's moans._

_"I...I thought that he went out with Elena." His wife panted._

_The door opened and Stefan casually walked inside. "Well, we did and now we're done." Cassandra hissed and climbed off her husband who was still incredibly aroused. He pulled the covers over the both of them and scowled at his cock block of a brother. "Was I interrupting something?" He asked with a knowing grin._

_"Yes!" Both husband and wife shouted._

_"Oh, well, I just needed to grab something." He moseyed around the room casually as if he didn't catch his brother and sister-in-law fooling around._

_"Get what you're going to get and leave." Cassandra glared, watching him pick up random items and place them back down messily._

_"Oh darn," Stefan snapped exaggeratedly, not finding what he was looking for. "I think I left it downstairs. You two have fun." The green eyed vampire sauntered to the door and shut it loudly behind him._

_"I'm going to kill your brother." Cassandra glowered._

_"Take a number and wait in line." Damon grumbled before flopping back onto the pillows._

The timer on the stove dinged, shaking Cassandra from her less than pleasurable interruption of her husband's little brother. Stefan had constantly been a nuisance lately and both husband and wife were finding it difficult to deal with an amnesia ridden Stefan.

_"So, he just walked in on you guys?" Caroline asked, her mouth agape in disbelief._

"Yep. It was pretty embarrassing. That's what I mean. This isn't the Stefan we know and the sooner we get him back the better." Cassandra sighed. "Anyway, how is college? Classes aren't too hard, are they?"

_"I'm having a great time. Busting my ass studying for applied microbiology, but all in all, I'm okay."_ She babbled happily.

"Good for you. You lost me at applied microbiology, but good for you." The hybrid said.

_"Oh! I know that I can't be home for Remembrance Day, but do you think that you could ring a bell for my dad please?"_

"Yeah, about that..."

_"Wait, aren't you supposed to be at Remembrance Day?"_ Caroline asked.

"Well, there's a little problem with that considering everyone around me will be drinking and I can't drink. And I refuse to take a shot of water every time they ring a bell in memory of someone." Cassandra grumbled before taking a sip of her boring water.

_"So, you're just sitting at home?"_

"Oh, no. I'm baking and eating..." Her brown eyes trailed over the array of battery cupcakes that were ready to go in the oven. "And baking and eating some more." She slid on an oven mitt and sauntered to the oven, taking out a pan of freshly baked cupcakes and placing them on the counter.

_"Jeez, somehow I don't think that not being able to drink was so bad for you."_ The blonde leaned up against the hallway, waiting for Jesse to be finished with Dr. Maxfield.

Cassandra proceeded to pop the fluffy cakes from the pan, ignoring the slight burn in her fingers and she grabbed a tub of vanilla icing. She stuck her finger inside, scooped up a large dollop, and suckled the sweet, sugary frosting off. "It's not just that, but when your husband calls you in the middle of the night and says, "Hey babe. To prove to Stefan that we're vampires, I flipped and totaled a car that we stole." Your stress level goes up. And who was the one who had to drag their ass out of bed to pick them up? Me." Receiving that call phone was...interesting to say the least. She pulled up to pick them up and nearly dropped dead seeing the wreckage from the car. Pieces of the motor and frame were strewn all over the road along with spatters of blood from Stefan and Damon when they hit the pavement. The two brothers were fine, of course, but they still had to endure a very loud and chock full of choice words lecture from Cassandra.

_"You might want to slow down on the eating part."_ Caroline suggested.

"I can't help it. I can smell everything and my hormones aren't helping either." She spread a generous amount of frosting on the small cakes. "Instead of you gaining the 'freshman fifteen', it'll be me."

_"Oh, stop it! You'll be fine."_ The blonde chuckled. _"Hey, listen, have you heard from Bonnie?"_

Cassandra shook her head and placed the cupcake tin aside when she finished frosting them. "No, I've sent her like a thousand emails. I was hoping that maybe she could come home and see how the baby is doing. I don't want to risk going to a hospital."

_"Dammit! She is seriously missing out on college."_ She pouted, but it was wiped away seeing Jesse waiting for her._"I've gotta run. Studying."_

"Okay, Care. I'll talk to you later." Cassandra hung up and dialed Bonnie. She groaned when it went to voicemail again, but she left a message anyway.

"Hey Bon, it's me again. I'm actually surprised that everyone's messages haven't filled up your mailbox yet." She joked while dribbling some B positive on the tops of the cupcakes. A perfect mix of sweet and savory. "Anyway, I was wondering if you knew when you were coming home because..." She was going to explain about her paranoia of going into the hospital to have the baby checked out, but that suddenly didn't seem so important. "Because the girls need you up at school. They miss you so much and Caroline tells me that you're missing all of the parties. Just come home soon, okay? We all miss you." She hung up the phone and leaned against the counter. Something just did not feel right in the pit of her stomach. Bonnie was never one to not answer her phone or ignore emails. It just didn't sit right with Cassandra.

* * *

"Hey, am I missing all of the fun?" Cassandra walked into the Salvatore crypt and kissed Damon's cheek. The festivities had moved from the Grill to the cemetery and Elena was there too, lighting candles within the crypt.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Cranky-pants." Stefan whistled.

The hybrid sent him a harsh glare. "That's _Mrs._ Cranky-pants to you."

"We were just filling in Stefan on how many family members he killed." Elena jumped in, hoping to defuse the obvious tension between the two.

"How are we doing, Stef? Remember anything yet?" She asked him.

Stefan shrugged and shook his head. "No."

"And back to square one." Damon drawled.

"We've literally done everything. Maybe his brain is as good as scrambled." Cassandra smirked evilly. "I was hoping that the car you two flipped would have rattled that empty brain around of his."

"You're still mad at us for the car thing? Come on, Damon and I were just having a little fun." The green eyed vampire chortled.

"Stefan, my idea of fun is not dragging a car off the side of the road in the middle of the night." She growled.

"It's not like you did it anyway. Damon made me do it," he defended.

Damon looked down at his wife. "She made me make you do it." Cassandra nodded proudly and he placed his hands on the backs of her shoulders. "Besides, I don't want her doing any strenuous activity."

"But having sex with you is strenuous." Stefan blurted out and Elena's cheeks flushed bright red. "What? I've heard the sounds from your room."

"Then cut off your ears." Cassandra suggested. "Better yet, cut out your tongue so I don't have to hear you talking."

"Guys," Elena stepped in between the feuding family members. "Come on, this is a day to remember those who are gone. Not to fight."

"She started it." Stefan mumbled under his breath and Cassandra scoffed.

"I'm gonna visit mom, dad, and Vanessa." She announced, giving Damon a soft peck. "See you later."

"Bye Cassandra." The green eyes Salvatore called after her, hoping to gauge some kind of reaction from her, but she didn't give him so much as a second glance.

"Why are you such a douche?" Damon asked his brother.

"Why is your wife such a nagging bitch?" Stefan quickly found his airways constricted when Damon wrapped his hand around his neck.

"Woah, hey!" Elena stepped in between the two brothers, pushing Stefan back. "Enough with the arguing. Today is supposed to be a celebration of those who are gone. Let's try to keep things civil."

Both brothers glared at each other, their low growls practically rumbling the Salvatore crypt. The past few days had been hard on each of them. Stefan, after being locked in a safe all summer, had his memory completely wiped and was now unable to recall anything about his life. On top of that, he now had to remember what it was like to be a vampire. Damon had taken on the responsibility of helping Stefan remember and adjust, as any good brother would do, and all he got was resistance and backlash.

"Fine." Damon was the first to break the staring contest between them. "You two have fun." He exited the crypt and trudged past the drinking couples sitting by tombstones to see his wife lying sunflowers down by her father's, mother's, and Vanessa's graves. He sat beside her in the grass, placing his hands on her shoulders and massaging gently.

"You okay?" He kissed softly along the shell of her ear.

Cassandra nodded mutely and picked up a sunflower for herself, cradling it in her lap. "Just thinking."

"Hmm, about?"

"How much of a pain in my ass your brother is," he replied and Damon chuckled.

"We can always vervain him when he's not looking." He smirked, digging his fingers into her tense muscles. Cassandra leaned back against him, enjoying the silence between them aside from their unborn child's heartbeat and the faint ringing of bells in the distance.

"What if Stefan never gets his memory back?" She wondered aloud, not liking the idea of having this Stefan around for eternity.

Damon was silent for a little while, not really having a definite answer for her. "Then we'll just add that to the Universe trying to tear us apart."

She turned to face him, frowning seeing his crestfallen look. "Damon, we've talked about this..."

"I know that we have, Cass, but doesn't it bother you that I was meant to be with Katherine, only to end up alone in the end? And you, you were never meant to set foot on his earth and ever since, nature has been trying to reset itself by trying to kill you. Doesn't any of that bother you at all?" He asked her.

"Of course it bothers me. It scares me, it angers me and it's making me question everything, but I'll tell you one thing that I'm not questioning. My love for you." She told him. "I will never doubt you, Damon and I will always love you no matter what Qetsiyah or the Universe says."

"And what about the baby?"

Cassandra's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"This whole pregnancy was never meant to happen in the first place. It can't happen. The only reason it did, is because the Universe is trying to kill you." Damon said and Cassandra stood up abruptly, needing to distance herself from him.

"The Universe can come up with whatever plan it wants to, but I won't let it stop me from living. I'm not going to live in fear and you shouldn't either." She growled and begun to trudge away, but Damon flashed before her to stand in her way.

"I'm not living in fear, Cass, but I refuse to let you die from this." He fought.

She snapped, unable to keep herself calm anymore. "So, what do you want me to do? Get rid of it?"

"No!" He jumped on the tail end of her words. Dammit; he had't meant for it to come out like that or for her to take it like that. "Cass, just-"

"What?! I know that's what you want me to do! I won't do it, Damon!" She pushed him away, making him stumble backwards slightly.

"Would you lower your voice?" He hissed and grabbed her wrists roughly.

"God dammit, Damon. Just leave me alone. Don't talk to me." Cassandra snapped his wrists, breaking them with a simple flick and she ran off. The vampire roared and buried his fist in the trunk of a tree, cracking the bark all the way up to the top and making some birds fly away from their perches on the branches. He always knew exactly what to say to set her off and she naturally flew off the handle. Now this was another mess that he had to fix and get himself out of. As if things couldn't get any worse, his phone rang in his pocket and it was the youngest Gilbert calling him.

"This better be good, Gilbert." He glowered.

_"I need you to come meet me, and I need you to come alone."_ Jeremy said. He really didn't want to make this phone call, but he knew that he had to.

"And I need you to be less vague and less weird." The vampire made his way through the

Jeremy sighed loudly. _"I know where Bonnie is. Get over here and I'll explain."_

* * *

Jeremy Gilbert nervously twiddled his thumbs as he waited for Damon to get home. Time seemed like to span on for hours even though he only called the eldest Salvatore about five minutes ago. He sounded annoyed to say the least, but he always greeted Jeremy in a less than amicable when whenever they spoke on the phone. His nerves were beginning to get to him and he had talked himself on and off the ledge about a thousand times, but he came to the conclusion that he had to start telling everyone the truth about Bonnie. He couldn't keep it inside anymore and he couldn't keep lying to everyone. He looked toward the front door of the boarding house as it was opened and then slammed closed, but it wasn't the person that he was expecting. He had hoped that Damon would have come home alone, but why was Cassandra here?

"Cassandra, hey. Wh-" He stopped short seeing that she was wiping tears away from her cheeks. "What happened? Is something wrong?"

The wounded hybrid shook her head. "It's nothing, Jeremy."

_"She and Damon fought about the baby."_ Bonnie told him sadly and Jeremy frowned.

"Can I get you something?" The teen asked politely.

Cassandra smiled as warmly as she could at him. Always the helpful Gilbert. "No thanks, Jeremy. I'm okay."

_"She's not okay."_ The witch murmured.

"I know." Jeremy said back to her, completely forgetting that Cassandra was with him. She gave him an odd look, scrunching up her nose.

"Huh?"

"What?" Jeremy shrugged.

"You just said: 'I know.'" She said and the teen pursed her lips.

"I did?"

"Yeah, you-" Cassandra turned hearing the front door open and she quickly turned back seeing Damon step inside the house.

"You and I need to talk." He demanded.

"I have nothing to say to you, Damon." She clenched her fists.

"Then just hear me out." He pleaded with her.

"No, I've heard enough and I don't want to hear anything else that you have to say to me." Cassandra growled.

"Guys, I need to tell you something." Jeremy interrupted the pair, bur Bonnie placed a hand on his shoulder.

_"Don't Jeremy."_ She couldn't have him tell everyone about her death.

Damon turned his attention toward Jeremy. "Where is she? Call her. Get her here."

"Where is who?" Cassandra asked.

"Let's go, Jer. Call up Bonnie and get her here now." He said.

Jeremy swallowed thickly. He had planned on just telling Damon, but now he had to tell both husband and wife about Bonnie. "That's the problem. I can't actually call her. No one can." They both looked confused, not quite understanding what Jeremy was getting at.

_"Please don't do this, Jeremy."_ Bonnie begged from beside him.

"I've been lying to everyone for months, and I can't keep lying knowing that everyone's waiting for her to swoop in and save the day." The teen told them.

"I don't speak "crazy-person," Jer. You're gonna have to translate that for me." Damon grumbled.

"Think about it, Damon. I was dead. I wasn't supposed to come back." Jeremy said.

"Yes, but Bonnie's magic brought you back." Cassandra noted.

Jeremy shook his head. "You're not hearing me. Magic finds a balance. I'm not supposed to be here." It all suddenly dawned on them as to why Bonnie hadn't been home or only answering very few calls and emails. But, she just couldn't be...

"No..."

"What are you saying, Jeremy?" Cassandra asked.

"You can't just bring somebody back from the dead. There is always a price to pay for it." He said.

"Don't say it, Jeremy. Don't you dare." Damon hissed.

"She didn't show up to her dad's funeral. Nobody has spoken to her all summer." He explained.

"But she's sent some emails to people." Cassandra said.

"I sent them. I sent the emails to everyone using Bonnie's phone." He told her. Damon and Cassandra were slowly trying to get what Jeremy was hinting at. He hadn't said it outright, but it was hanging over their heads like a dark cloud.

Bonnie stood in front of the teen, wishing that he would just be quiet. _"Please, Jeremy. Do not say it."_

"Bonnie's dead."

It hit them worse than they had thought. At first, the words just settled on their skin, but with each passing second, it sunk in and held such a harsh weight that Cassandra had to physically sit herself down on the couch. Now it all made sense. Bonnie wasn't visiting family or traveling the world, no. She was dead and no one even stopped to consider that grave possibility.

"How long?" Cassandra asked tearfully.

"Since graduation," Jeremy replied and no longer saw Bonnie by his side. She couldn't bear to watch this.

"Oh God..." She gasped and palmed her face, hoping that this was all just some terrible dream and that she would wake up soon. "Bonnie's been dead for three, almost four months and you didn't even think to tell us sooner?"

"Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell anyone. I didn't want anyone to know about it and Bonnie asked me to keep it a secret." He told them. "She wanted everyone to enjoy the summer."

"Damn it, Jeremy! You realize what you just did?!" Damon snapped and walked towards him. "We've been trying to contact her all summer and so have her friends. You knew that and you still didn't tell us. You lied to everyone."

"I know that I lied, but I'm coming clean now. People need to know." Jeremy said and Damon's fists were clenched so hard that the palms had begun to bleed. He was so angry at him and wanted to slug him hard, but he did the next thing on his mind. He wrapped his arms around Jeremy and hugged him tightly, letting him know that even though he was lied to the entire summer, Damon was still going to forgive him. Bonnie's death was going to turn everyone's world upside down and Jeremy would be the person who had to break the news to everyone. He had stepped up like a man and wanted to make sure that light was shed on the truth. It was a huge responsibility and people would he angry with him for lying, but Damon let him know that he stood by him.

* * *

Cassandra plucked her earrings up from her vanity table and put them in her ears, securing them closed before she looked over her appearance. Her black dress made her figure look slimmer and it concealed her bump well, but it was times like these when she hated wearing black. Today Bonnie's funeral service would be held just for her friends. Everyone needed to say their goodbyes to their best friend and get their own kind of closure. Cassandra flipped her curls over her shoulder and turned to grab her shoes, but in the process she tripped over a pair of Damon's boots. Growling, she scooped them up and tossed them into a corner of the room.

"Big, dumb jerk. I told him to move those how many times?" She said aloud. Things between her and Damon were still sore from their fight in the forest. They hadn't spoken a word to one another except for little things like greeting one another when they passed in the hallway or asking the other to hand them something and she wished that this petty fighting would be over.

"The big, dumb jerk is sorry." Damon said from behind her. Cassandra turned to see him holding a single long stemmed rose and he was dressed in his suit for the funeral.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked, forgoing his apology and his flower.

"Wait," he stepped in front of her, blocking her way. "Just please hear me out, Cassandra." She gave him a hard look and swallowed before nodding slowly. Damon took her hand and led her over to their bed, sitting themselves down on it. While still holding her hand, he rubbed his thumb over the back of it in soothing circles.

"I am so sorry about what I said the other day. I didn't mean for you to take it that way. I just meant that...I don't want to lose you, Cass. You're too important for me to lose and I don't know how I would even begin to go on." He told her. "I want you and our child to be safe and I am sorry if what I said hurt you in anyway. I say stupid things that I don't mean and I know that's not an excuse, but that's just who I am. Cassandra, I'm sorry for making you upset, but just know this," her husband scooting closer to her and placed his hand on her stomach. "I would never ask you to get rid of something that makes you happy. Never." This child was too important to the both of them and Damon would never ever even suggest to her to get rid of it.

Cassandra's eyes were watering and she hadn't even made it to the funeral yet. The argument between her and her husband was merely a miscommunication that was only escalated by her raging hormones and pesky moods wings. She had wrong him too, she blew the entire thing out of proportion when really all Damon was trying to do was keep her safe. "I'm sorry too. I just...lately I've been taking things to heart and I'm just moody and everything seems to get to me. It's a stupid, lame excuse, but I was wrong to blow up at you. I know that you love me and were just trying to protect me." She said and looked down at their joined hands. She wordlessly interlocked their fingers together and squeezed gently. "I love you."

"And I love you." Damon cupped her cheek and kissed her softly, promising to think before his mouth spit out whatever his brain was spinning. She pressed her forehead against his and sighed deeply.

"I can't believe that Bonnie is gone." She whispered sadly.

"I know. Jeremy did a stupid thing by lying to everyone." He said.

"He was just respecting her wishes." Cassandra took up the rose in her other hand and sniffed it. "How did everyone else take the news?"

"As well as you think." Damon told her.

"Well, they need us now more than ever." He gently pulled her to her feet and reached to grab her shoes. "God, we've been selfish all summer."

Damon handed her a pair of black pumps. "Everyone has, Cassandra. We all wanted something from Bonnie and we just didn't realize that she was missing."

"But, we should have at least figured it out. We're not idiots for crying out loud. Bonnie is never one to just skip town for the entire summer and not answer emails or phone calls." Bracing her hand on Damon's shoulder, she slipped her shoes on one at a time.

"We can't blame ourselves for what happened. It's too late for that. The most that we can do is go to the funeral today and give Bonnie a proper goodbye." He tucked a curl behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "For Bonnie."

"Yeah, for Bonnie." She nodded.

* * *

Sad faces all circled around the trunk of a tree, each mentally preparing themselves for Bonnie's funeral. They all felt it best to hold it out in nature because a witch could draw on their powers from it. Each person held an item of significance to Bonnie, something to remember her by and no one could hold back their tears for too much longer. Bonnie's presence would be greatly missed and it seemed nearly impossible to continue living life when she was dead. Jeremy stood at the other side of the tree trunk, opposite Damon, Cassandra, Elena, Caroline, and Matt. He placed a picture frame of himself and Bonnie on the top and one by one, each person stepped forward to place an object that had their own special meaning in memory of Bonnie. Caroline placed red and black cheerleading pompoms beside the picture frame. The two girls had been cheerleaders at Mystic Falls high school each year and Caroline had such fond memories of her and Bonnie at cheer camp over the summer. Matt was next and he put his lifeguard whistle in the stump. He and Bonnie were lifeguards over the summer and he could remember sitting up in the lifeguard chair with her and listening to her stories about her Grams. A tearful Elena walked forward with a bowl of white feathers she had taken from a pillow and scattered them along the items already in the stump. Bonnie had told her that she was a witch by simply levitating a some feathers from her goose-down pillow. That very memory brought the most broken of smiles to Elena's face. Her best friend that she'd known since childhood was gone and she had just found out about that she had traded her own life for Jeremy's.

Elena ran back into Caroline's arms, the two girls hugging one another as they cried and Damon was next to place her grimoire inside. It was Bonnie's book of spells, such powerful spells that could literally alter the course of nature. It was a witch's most prized possession. Sure, he despised Bonnie when she'd give him aneurysms, but he wished that she would give him just one more. Cassandra shakily walked forward and placed a silver bangle bracelet down in the trunk. It had been a gift for each of her bridesmaids to say thank you for being a part of her life. Elena and Caroline had and wore their bracelets daily and the two girls even toyed with them around their wrists while Cassandra gave her offering. The hybrid's gaze lingered on the array of gifts placed on the altar, her heart breaking more and more with understanding the meaning behind each one. Elena, Jeremy, Caroline, and Matt had known Bonnie since they were children, it was like they were losing a member of their own family. Cassandra remembered meeting Bonnie for the first time, she was a young witch who was growing into the use of her powers and it was amazing to watch her thrive into the badass witch that she had become. She had no fear and would do anything to protect her friends. She was selfless, always putting others first before herself. When everyone had finished, Bonnie looked upon each face, all of them on the verge of tears and she whispered to Jeremy.

_"It's okay. They need this. I need this."_ With her go-ahead, Jeremy grabbed the bell from beside him.

"We ring this bell in honor of Bonnie, in remembrance for her." He rang the bell a few times and it was the saddest sound that they had ever heard. Everyone was silent, unable to bring themselves to speak and Jeremy looked unsurely down at Bonnie. "I'm not sure what else to say."

_"Say that I'm not going anywhere;__say that even though they couldn't see me I've been there the whole time."_ She told him.

Jeremy cleared his throat and looked to everyone. "She says that she's not going anywhere, that she has been here all along. Bonnie has watched you have the summer of your life." The witch then walked to each of her friends and stood beside them, communicating to Jeremy to repeat her words as she spoke them. She started with Elena first.

_"And I saw you happy, and I know you think now that you can't have a normal life..."_ She whispered.

"That you have to be there for everyone, but you don't." Jeremy spoke and Elena had finally cracked, tears streaming down her cheeks.

_"Everyone will find their way, so you are gonna repack your things, you're gonna go back to college, and you're gonna live it up."_ Bonnie smiled and as Jeremy finished explaining to Elena what she had said, the teen nodded, sniffling back her hot tears. She made her way to Matt next who was trying his hardest to stay strong and not cry.

_"You didn't do anything wrong, Matt. You know I would have sent you 300 e-mails back if I could. I miss you."_ She said and watched him slowly break down. Bonnie then stood beside Caroline.

_"I watched you decorate that dorm room like your life depended on it."__She giggled and when Jeremy had said it, they all laughed too, knowing that Caroline had put her heart and soul into decorating her dorm room.__"And I know that college isn't everything you expected and that you feel like something's missing, but..."_ She trailed off seeing someone emerging through the forest and Caroline followed Jeremy's gaze.

"Tyler..." She whimpered and ran to hug him. He held onto her tightly, letting her cry in his hold and that made everyone else even more emotional. Caroline loved and missed Tyler so much when he had left and it was nice to have him back. Tyler then placed his own offering, a single white rose, among the other offerings and Bonnie stood in front of Damon who was holding a weeping Cassandra against him.

"Cassandra and Damon." Jeremy looked to the tearful hybrid.

_"I got every email and every update about your pregnancy. I know that you and Damon are scared, but please don't be afraid. You are being given the chance to bring a blessing into this world. And your child will be born into a family that will love and cherish it."_ Bonnie told them.

Cassandra nodded, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Tell her that I love her and thank her for watching over us. Over all of us."

A smile touched Bonnie's lips and she placed her hand on Cassandra's stomach comfortingly even though she knew that she couldn't feel it. Her smile only grew as she felt the couple's child inside Cassandra's womb. _"Perfectly healthy."_

"She said that your child is healthy." Jeremy added and both Cassandra and Damon let out a long sigh of relief.

Bonnie then reappeared at Jeremy's side and she took his hand, looking at all of the grieving faces that were mourning her death. It would be hard for all of them to move on, but this service would help to give them that little bit of closure that they needed._"This is good. This is all I wanted. I'll be okay. We'll all be okay."_

* * *

A charcoal pencil flew across the paper and Jeremy's eyes concentrated on the detail he was adding to his drawing. Today had been an emotional day for everyone and he was doing what he did best in order to unwind. Elena had gone to bed and Stefan had moved out to spend some time with Caroline who was helping him with his bloodlust and his memory. He heard Damon downstairs, mumbling to himself and Jeremy looked up from his pad of paper hearing a knock at his bedroom door.

"It's open." He said. Cassandra walked in and leaned against the door frame. In her hands was a plate with a vanilla frosted cupcake on it, minus the blood sauce.

"You okay?" She asked him.

Jeremy nodded, he was doing better than he thought he would, but maybe that was because he had contact with Bonnie over the entire summer, so she was never really gone. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"What you did today for Bonnie was really beautiful. I know that it wasn't easy, but you did a good job." She told him. "I'm proud of you Jer."

"Thanks." He gave her a winning smile but it faltered a little. "I mean, I've asked myself if I did the right thing by keeping it a secret from everyone. I know that they were angry with me, but I feel like I did the right thing."

Cassandra walked into his room and sat beside him. "Well, yes, we were mad at you, but you respected Bonnie's wishes. You did what was right for the situation at hand and now everyone can get closure and grieve in their own way."

Jeremy seemed to understand and he nodded. "Thanks for listening."

"Hey, I try." She giggled and passed him the plate. "Cupcake?"

"No, thanks. I can't." He said.

"Oh, yes you can because if you don't eat it then I will and I can't have that." She explained. "I'll just make you, Damon and Elena eat them." They both laughed at that and Cassandra got up to leave Jeremy to his drawing.

* * *

"You know," Damon stated as he took another bite of one of Cassandra's cupcakes. He found them just sitting on the counter and decided to steal one for a snack. One turned into two and two turned into three. He loved whenever Cassandra baked because she was always so good at it. He'd cook and she'd bake; a pretty nice compromise. "These aren't half bad." His wife remained planted on the couch, silently staring into the fire place in the living. "Cass?"

After she had spoken with Jeremy, she found herself on the couch, just sitting and thinking about the past few days. A lot had happened and it was nice that things were beginning to quiet down. However as soon as things quieted down, they'd start back up again, but that was the curse of living in Mystic Falls. Bonnie's funeral today had caused Cassandra to do a lot of thinking about herself and her life, sooner or later she had lost track of time and she turned to see Damon waiting patiently for an answer from her. Wordlessly, she stood up from the couch and wrapped her arms tightly around his body, hugging him close to him and squeezing him tightly. She nuzzled her face into his chest, breathing in his scent that was so memorable to her. Damon was a little started by the sudden movement, but he embraced her back, a hand combing through her damp hair.

"Cass?" He questioned.

His wife pulled back, her dark brown eyes peering up at him. "Sorry, I just needed that. I was thinking today at Bonnie's funeral, that you never really appreciate someone until they're gone. I just...I love you Damon. Some days I feel like I don't say it enough, but I do. I love you with all of my heart."

Damon smiled lovingly down at her, this woman was his life and there were days that went by where he felt like he wasn't telling her that he loved her enough times, but he would try to make that change. Cassandra was his reason for living and that baby growing inside her was just another reason to add to the list. The odds always seemed like they were against them, but they always managed to overcome every obstacle, every bump in the road, and every mishap. "Screw the Universe. You're my wife and the mother of my unborn child. I don't want there to be a day where I have to live without you, Cassandra, and there won't be because we have eternity. I will love you forever. I always have."

His wife gently cupped his cheeks, running the tips of her fingers down his soft, porcelain skin. As she reached his chin, she could feel a slight stubble from his facial hair, but she loved feeling it scratch lightly against her skin when he would whisper in her ear. Touching him like this gave her a sense of renewal and she felt reborn in a way to feel his skin under her hands. She couldn't quite explain it, but it was a rush through her veins that coursed throughout her entire body, encompassing each hair and each flake of skin. Trailing down the sides of his neck, she watched his Adam's apple bob up and down and she reached the top of his shirt. Ever so slowly, she undid each button, exposing more of his perfect skin. The days preceding this one had been rushed and filled with stress, but then again, what did they expect living in Mystic Falls? This moment was the first real time they had to themselves to reflect and let their bodies and minds unwind. Cassandra pushed the shirt off his shoulders and admired his defined chest, swallowing at each chiseled abdominal muscle and how the light from the fireplace bounced off them. Her fingers followed the trails of her eyes, tracing and dancing over his rippling skin till she stopped at the dark trail of hair leading to the button of his jeans. She popped it open and slid the zipper down too before pushing the dark material down his strong legs along with his boxer briefs. He stood completely naked, a perfect form of the male body and she grew even more aroused at the sight of his throbbing desire that rested against his stomach.

When she reached out to undo the knot on her robe, Damon grasped her wrists and shook his head. "My turn." He let her hands drop to her sides and he stepped in closer, now adding his own body heat to the warmth of the fireplace. He started at her eyes, those stunningly beautiful, brown orbs that drew him to her like a moth to the flame. He traced underneath them and bore into her stare as if wishing to get completely lost in them. Her eyes not only saw the goodness in others, but they saw the goodness in him which was so often hidden by his hard exterior. A single finger than ran down the bridge of her small nose, her pouty lips and chin, and his hands skimmed over the robe that he wanted to tear off her body, but he would take his sweet time with her. The satin was soft under his touch, but there no way that it would be softer than his wife's skin. He untied the sash and spread the fabric open, showing off her completely naked body underneath and nearly all of the air was knocked out of his lungs at her beauty. Her breasts stood proudly, her peaks hardening at the intense gaze of his eyes. He fondled them gently, knowing that they were tender and a little swollen. Cassandra closed her eyes and leaned her head back just slightly, enjoying his light touches. Thumbs brushed her nipples, feeling them harden under his skin and he gave a soft kiss to each one. His hands trailed lower now and he could feel her baby bump. If she turned to the side, he would find that it was still small, but that didn't matter to him. He could actually feel it in his hands and run his fingers over it. As if feeling its father's touch, the heartbeat quickened and both husband and wife chuckled at their child's enthusiasm to being shown some attention. He showered her stomach with kisses before coming back up and kissing his wife fully on the lips.

"She's excited to meet you." Cassandra said and he looked up at her with wide eyes and his heart in his throat.

"She?" He questioned and she nodded with tears in her eyes.

"Bonnie saw that it was a girl. It's still a little early to tell, but she saw pink when she put her hands on my stomach at the service." She told him and Damon suddenly swept her off her feet, covering her face with a thousand sweet kisses.

"A girl." He kissed her lips sweetly and she giggled against his lips. "A girl?"

"Yes, Damon." She had begun to cry, tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks and she hugged him tightly. When she had left Jeremy's room before, he had called her to come back in. He asked her if he wanted to know the gender of the baby because Bonnie knew. She thought about it and asked for Bonnie to tell her. She had started crying immediately and decided that she would give Damon the good news tonight. Even the midst of such loss of grief of today, there was still something good to come out of it.

"I love you. I love you so much." He could hardly bring himself to think straight. All he could process was that he and Cassandra could be expecting a little girl. He was overjoyed and ecstatic as he continued to kiss her. They were both crying, shedding joyful tears at the thought of holding their baby. Nothing mattered except the two of them in this very moment.

In the mess of kissing and crying, they had found themselves lying on the Persian rug in front of the fireplace with Damon nestled between her legs. He kissed along the side of her neck as he slid into her warmth. He hiked her legs around his waist and drove into her with slow, deep thrusts. Cassandra gripped his forearms, throwing her head back and moaning with each pump he made. The fire crackled softly and the heat hugged their bodies like a blanket on a cold night. He kissed and touched any shred of skin that he could get his lips and hands on, peppering her entire body with affection. Her walls felt him throbbing inside her and each touch sent her on overdrive. She tightened her legs around him and she scratched at his back, sending shivers down his spine. Damon pressed his forehead against hers, staring deeply into her eyes and he gripped her hands, holding them down by the sides of her head and he interlocked his fingers with hers. Cassandra kissed his lips, nibbling and swiping her tongue along his bottom one until he opened his mouth to circle his tongue around hers. Her back arched as her orgasm approached and Damon doubled his efforts to make her come first. He whispered in her ear, coaxing her to lose herself in him and she did. She was a withering, writhing, trembling mess below him and Damon held her body in his arms as she came all over him. He gave a few quick thrusts and came inside her, peppering her sweaty skin with kisses. Their bodies were tangled within one another, wrapped in each other and completely alone and uninterrupted. Cassandra giggled as he lazily kissed along her neck and he bit in random spots, making her squirm around. Unlocking their fingers, Cassandra cupped his cheeks and brought his soft lips to hers, kissing him passionately; their lips caressing one another's. They snuggled against each other's naked bodies, finding warm from their skin and the glowing embers from the fire. They laid there in the silence of the night and Cassandra felt her eyes growing heavy at the sound of Damon's heartbeat against her ear and the heartbeat of their little girl that they couldn't wait to meet. They fell asleep, curled into the curves of each other as the fire died down, surrounding them in the calming darkness of the night.

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**IT'S A GIRL! Are you surprised? Did you think it was going to be a girl? How do you think Damon and Cassandra will do with a little girl? I honestly didn't want to reveal the gender this early, but I felt like it fit well and a lot of you have been asking about the gender of Damon and Cassandra's baby. Stefan is a bit of a pain in bum in this chapter, but he and Cassandra will have a little moment in the coming chapters where they are on the same page. Damon and Cassandra FINALLY had a moment where they were not interrupted by anyone! Four months is a hell of a long time to wait, but I think in the end it was worth it.**

**PS - I know that I have been neglecting my other stories, but I am very tied up with season 1 of TO and season 5 of TVD that I find myself solely focused on them. Classes are also in full swing and I will begin student teaching in December. That will take up most of my time, but I am up for the challenge of juggling it all. I have been working on my other stories, but they are very slow. Please be patient with me and I will update as soon as I can.**

**Please review! What did you like? What questions do you have?**

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**grapejuice101:** Thanks for the review! I agree, I do love the new love triangle! Things will get more heated as the chapters progress forward ;)

**nickiR0x:** Thank you for reviewing! I loved he corset scene too! It was sexy and funny ;) I really can't wait for Elijah to be back in this story. I mean, I do like Hayley a little better in The Originals, but I think she's a little too tomboyish to be with someone as polished as Elijah. I do try to make my stories better than the show, so I'm happy you feel that way :) I honestly do feel bad for Damon too, but this chapter gave him a little something, something ;) As for the gender, I wasn't planning on revealing it this early, but I felt like the moment at the end of chapter tied in very nicely and it was a peaceful moment for them to share. I hope you enjoyed this update and I'll hear from you soon :)

**Silently Tearful:** Thanks for reviewing, girl! Giuliana was certainly abused a little with Davina's spell, but don't worry, she'll be okay! I have been absolutely horrible with updating my other stories and I am so, so sorry about that. Classes have been sucking the life out of me and with this new season, I want to get as much of it written as I can. I am working on all of my stories except for the ones on hiatus, so please be patient with me :)

**SomebodyWhoCares:** Hehe, I have never known the pain of a corset, but I can only imagine that it hurts. Especially if Nik was to yank on the strings. I really do love Rebekah on The Originals. I feel that the writers have done a lot with her character and I love her a lot :) Thanks for reviewing!

**Seira asami:** Thank you for leaving two reviews! An amnesiac Stefan is no good! He and Cassandra did butt heads in this chapter, but they will reconcile later on. I do believe that Damon deserves happiness and I am very happy to give him Cassandra because they are beautiful together! Davina is a very powerful witch and she did overstep her boundaries with Marcel. Elijah will be back soon!

**VampirePrincess11:** Thanks for reviewing! I do love both shows too! They are filled with action and suspense which keeps me sitting on the edge of my chair the entire hour!

**sexytime321:** Here is your update :) Hope you enjoyed it!

**shippolove844:** Thanks for reviewing! I love them together too! I try to make all of my OCs unique in their own way and I am so happy that you're enjoying them :)

**xoxobianca13:** Thank you for reviewing, girl! I love The Originals too! I do like Klaus and Giuliana, but it will be interesting to see what happens when Elijah is brought back into the picture. Rebekah and Hayley have really grown into their own on this show and I find that I like them better on TO than TVD. Marcel is a cocky vampire, but I do like writing him. I looovvvee Davina! She is absolutely gorgeous and super powerful!


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